Some recent macros

[StephenM (Stephen)]

Hi all,

I haven't posted any insects or spiders here recently, so here's a bit of a selection from the last month or so. All taken using the Tamron 90mm macro. The last one (of the hoverfly in flight) was taken this morning.

There's lots more on my Flickr photostream if you're interested (see my signature).

Thanks for looking!

Cheers,
Stephen

[omegacrux (David)]

Good pictures I like the ones in flight
Nice detailes and colour .
David

[troypiggo (Troy)]

Lovely set, Stephen. I really like those green jumping spiders, and the BBB in flight is a rare and great capture.

[StephenM (Stephen)]

Thanks David and Troy!

Cheers,
Stephen

[astro_south (Andrew)]

Some super shots in there Stephen - great collection.

[Paddy (Patrick)]

Stunning shots Stephen. Very impressive.

[Osirisra (Ken)]

Some very nice shots there indeed, good work!

[Joshua Bunn (Joshua)]

I think you've caught these very well. How close to the insect do you need to get?

thanks

[iceman (Mike)]

Amazing!
#3 blew me away - the background really helped.

[Deeno]

This stuff just blows me away!

How on earth, do you catch them in flight?

[bloodhound31]

Originally Posted by Deeno

This stuff just blows me away!

How on earth, do you catch them in flight?

Yep! This. Especially the BBB. They never keep still long enough to focus!

You have done an amazing job mate! How close did you get to the bugs in flight? Natural light? Flash? Shutter speed?

Just amazing.

Baz.

[StephenM (Stephen)]

Thanks very much for the feedback guys!

Originally Posted by bloodhound31

How close did you get to the bugs in flight? Natural light? Flash? Shutter speed?

Baz, these are all with the Tamron 90mm @ f/13, 1/250 sec, 400 iso, using a naked 430 EX II Speedlight set manually at between 1/4 and 1/8 power. I always manual focus, generally at maximum magnification (1:1), and then move the camera to achieve focus. The working distance with this lens is about 8 cm from the front of the lens to the subject. These are all cropped during PP as well.

I think the trick with insects in flight is lots of patience and a little bit of luck! I also tend to shoot in the same part of my garden, so perhaps the insects are getting used to me...?

Cheers,
Stephen