Insect season drawing to a close

Necronomicon

A little over a year ago I started a threadhere asking for advice on insect macro photography. I got some great advice, particularly this post from oshead (which should be added to the FAQ sticky IMO). I was using a 60mm compact and 70-300 telezoom, with nothing but the pop-up flash on a borrowed 450D (the images aren't embedded anymore because I removed them from my pix.ie profile).

Shortly after that I got my 40D, and in the year since I've invested a good bit of money in macro pursuits. I bought a Canon 100mm 2.8, which is hands down one of the best purchases I have ever made. Shortly after I addressed the flash issue by getting a 580ex II Speedlite and a RayFlash ringflash adapter. I was reticent about getting a dedicated macro flash, so I opted to try out the relatively inexpensive ringflash adapter. If it wasn't to my liking or if I lost interest in macro photography, I'd always have the back up of a Speedlite which would never go to waste. The combination has worked tremendously well, and I would recommend it to anybody looking for a macro flash set up that didn't want to completely break the bank. The manufacturer's page for the adapter is here, and I got mine from Barker Photographic in Cork (great to deal with). Most importantly I just got to grips more with the kind of exposure required for such work, in addition to learning about insect behaviours and habitats.

We may not have had much of a summer, but I did manage to amass a small collection of bugs in those fleeting days of sunshine. I think I have to concede that this year's days of shooting insects are coming to a close, so I'd like to share my favourites from the last couple of months gone by:

Lagnagoushee

I have really enjoyed your macro photographs over the last year. They have brought the whole new world of bugs (fascinating complex minute creatures) to life for me. Keep up the exceptional work!

Necronomicon

Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated.

hbr

Great macro shots Necronomicon.

I was very interested in the RayFlash, but it seems it is not compatible
with my Canon 430EX II. I shall have to carry on with my rubber band
and white paper

Necronomicon

hbr wrote: »

Great macro shots Necronomicon.

I was very interested in the RayFlash, but it seems it is not compatible
with my Canon 430EX II. I shall have to carry on with my rubber band
and white paper

Thanks! Interesting you say that about the 430EX II. I bought the RayFlash with the intention of using it on a 430. I knew it wasn't made for the model, but I learned that the ringflash came with rubber wedges to fit it onto the Speedlite. I had a borrowed 430 at the time I bought the RayFlash, and it did fit on with the wedges. However, it was far from ideal - I don't think I could carry the equipment around with peace of mind. That's why I decided to take the plunge with the 580EX II.

mikka631

Some excellent images there.
Once you start into Macro it gets addictive as you are now aware;). The 100mm f2.8 is a cracking good lens too.

Necronomicon

mikka631 wrote: »

Some excellent images there.
Once you start into Macro it gets addictive as you are now aware;). The 100mm f2.8 is a cracking good lens too.

Cheers mikka, I'd love to see a selection of your favourites because you've had some crackers on the random photo threads.

Yeah, the 100mm is just an incredible lens, it's my baby. One day I might take the plunge and get an MPE-65 but I couldn't justify the expense at the moment.

mikka631

If you do decide to get the MP-E65 lens make sure you hang on to the 100mm. The MP-E65 takes a bit of getting used to and is not for everybody though having said that if you keep working with it then it is the ultimate high for the macro junkie. Best bet is to find somebody who will let you try theirs out before you make the decision to buy one.
Here is an excellent blog worth looking at relating to macro and flash http://nocroppingzone.blogspot.com/

BlastedGlute

Christ, thats some serious macro work! Very well done! Colours are outstanding but not overblown either! Are these images clean and clear at full size? Make some serious prints if you were partial to that kind of thing. Might be nice to sell them to a college or somewhere that's involved in insect research etc. Anyway solid work, second and last ones are my favorite!

Necronomicon

BlastedGlute wrote: »

Christ, thats some serious macro work! Very well done! Colours are outstanding but not overblown either! Are these images clean and clear at full size? Make some serious prints if you were partial to that kind of thing. Might be nice to sell them to a college or somewhere that's involved in insect research etc. Anyway solid work, second and last ones are my favorite!

Thanks Yep, the resolution on the 40D holds up pretty well for most print sizes I'd imagine.

Eirebear

Cracking stuff mate!

WheresMyCamera?

Really nice shots. I particularly like the last one. All the purples and a beautiful DOF. Lovely!

kelly1

Super set of shots there! Just wondering, do you need to use extension tubes to get this close? Are these shots cropped?

Necronomicon

kelly1 wrote: »

Super set of shots there! Just wondering, do you need to use extension tubes to get this close? Are these shots cropped?

Only #7 above is cropped to any real degree. I was basically testing the resolution and liked the end result. The last shot has a very minor crop, but the rest are at 100mm. No extension tubes!

kelly1

Necronomicon wrote: »

Only #7 above is cropped to any real degree. I was basically testing the resolution and liked the end result. The last shot has a very minor crop, but the rest are at 100mm. No extension tubes!

Interesting. How close do you have to get? How far is the lens from the insect?

tfitzgerald

Great photos there as good as you would see anywhere I think you are gifted with a camera Necronomicon well done

Necronomicon

kelly1 wrote: »

Interesting. How close do you have to get? How far is the lens from the insect?

Hard to estimate, so I just found a review of the lens that says it has a minimum working distance of 6 inches. I think that sounds about right - it's a nice working distance, you're not on top of the subject. And the beauty is that the lens focuses internally, which means that there is no extending front element. This is different to a couple of comparable lenses such as the Tamron 90mm, which has a protruding front element - so if you're not careful you can find the glass bumping against the subject as you focus.

spooky donkey

I have an 80mm sigma and find that I need to be about 8" from the subject. Still really good macro I never really got any good results but sure there is always next year. Great photos OP. good post.

11811

Lovely shots!