Fascinating macro creatures

[Dennis]

Hello,

Here is a set of macro photos gathered over the last few weeks to offset the boredom arising from the less than cooperative weather in Brisbane. The neck is getting a complementary workout – looking down, not straining heavenwards!

Camouflaged Preying mantis
Funky spider
Bug (?) on the eye of a bigger bug (grasshopper).
Furry butterfly poking its tongue at me!
My, what big eyes you have!
Katydid
Spider
Bee

Thanks for looking!

Dennis

[h0ughy]

they are brilliant Dennis

[astroron]

Works of art Dennis
Thanks for posting.

[lacad01]

Great set of shots, well done! :thumbsup:

[UK1]

great photos ..

what sort of macro lenns you use ????????????????

[Dennis]

Thanks David, Ron, Adam & Rob – I appreciate your comments.

Rob: The Praying Mantis and funky spider were taken with the Canon EF-S 60mm F2.8 macro with the remainder being captured with the Canon 100mm F2.8 macro lens.

All were at 1/250 sec, F11, ISO100. Illumination was provided by a Canon 580 EX II flashgun with a Lumiquest soft box and the light was further diffused by a 12x10cm diffuser velcro’ed to the lens hood, between the flash and the insect. The diffuser came from an old Samsung LCD monitor that died and when I took it apart, I found 2 sheets of diffuser material which I kept, just in case…

The diffuser minimises any hot spots from the flashgun and provides a softer light compared to a naked flashgun.

Cheers

Dennis

[astro_south]

Great collection there Dennis - love the detail in the African Carder Bee

[RB]

Great to see more macros from you Dennis.
Love the camouflaged preying mantis, how beautifully it fades into the background.
Excellent sharpness and detail in all these shots and I love the harmonic colours in the spider (shot #7).
Good work too on the diffuser on the Lumiquest soft box for the 580 EXII, would you have a few shots of the setup handy?

Regards
Andrew

[Dennis]

Thanks for the bee ID Andrew, my insectology identification skills are woefully lacking!

Andrew: Here is my latest rig – I’m just off to the gym to work on my arms, so I can hold the damn thing steady!

Cheers

Dennis

PS – For H0ughy: Photo taken with my trusty old Pentax *ist DS, I still love this camera, it is so small and handles wonderfully!

[RB]

You freak me out Dennis !

:lol: :thumbsup:

[rogerg]

Great shots Dennis :) Neat camera setup too :)

How do you convince the critters to sit still when that monstrosity of equipment is bearing down upon them???? :)

[Dennis]

:lol: Sorry Andrew!

It’s been a 12 month journey that began with the BIMBO’s, but in the last couple of weeks the rig has finally come together and seems to be producing some nice results in terms of lighting.

As for angles, composition, habitat, field craft, etc I still have a looong way to go, but the important thing is that I’m enjoying the journey! My wife also loves me taking an interest in the garden too!:)

Cheers

Dennis

[troypiggo]

Great stuff Dennis! Good to see some bugs still around. Haven't had much time to shoot them of late, with new baby keeping my hands and time full.

Good eye (no pun intended) picking up the mite on the grasshopper's eye.

I too found the mini softbox a bit harsh lighting. Got the softbox instead, much better.

[Dennis]

Hi Roger

You should see the 100’s of shots that I have of empty green leaves, naked stalks, plain flowers, etc where the insect has scarpered before I was able to pull the trigger!:lol:

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

Thanks Troy – the critters will wait whilst your newborn grows up. It’ll also give me some time to catch up to your high standards and quality images!:)

Cheers

Dennis

[multiweb]

:eyepop: That is fantastic Dennis. Truly amazing. The yellow spider's got my vote. Very creative colorwise. Is it on a piece of aluminium foil?

[Dennis]

Hi Marc

Thanks!

The spider is on a flower petal on a very prolific vine that has spread out all along our back garden fence. Here are a couple of other shots that show more detail of the flower; it has a lovely translucence and sheen in certain light.

Over the months of observing various creatures, I have come to see that they have a place in nature and so I have adopted an approach of minimal interference. I won’t move or relocate them (unless they come indoors!) although I will carefully move foliage to better reveal them for a photo opportunity.

This resolve has strengthened as when peering through my lens, I see bees harvesting pollen, spiders mending webs, etc. and as macro photography is only a hobby, I decided that it wasn’t sufficient reason for me to interfere in their life cycle.

I will however, kill any mosquitoes that try to bite me.:)

Cheers

Dennis

[troypiggo]

Lovely shots, Dennis. That's a lynx spider in case you were wondering. Very common but interesting to shoot - I like all the spikey hairs all over them.

[beren]

:thumbsup: Great collection of macro images Dennis really enjoyed looking at them. Top setup as well, I have the Nikon 60mm equivalent which I enjoy but like you I try to adopt a "tread lightly" approach and probably need 105mm to avoid snapping leafs etc ;) Well done

[Dennis]

Thanks Stuart! I got a little too close to a native bee nest the other day and quite a few of them landed on me, presumably to investigate if I was a threat.

Even though these little guys don’t sting, previously I’d have run around like a loony trying to knock them off, but this time, with increasing awareness from my macro related exposure to the insect world, my wife and I gently blew them off and we went on our way, leaving them in peace.

I would not try this experiment with killer bees!:eyepop:

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

Thanks for the Spider ID Troy!:thumbsup:

Cheers

Dennis

[alexch]

Wonderful series, Dennis. All of them are very nice and I enjoyed looking "in the eyes". But the colours and composition make the native bee photo my favourite.

Alex