A-PeeR Loc: Houston, Texas

Hi All -

Been away from the forum for a while. Hoping that won't happen again but one never knows. As a wise lady once told me, life is what happens when you have other plans. I have been out shooting macro on a weekly basis to recharge the mental batteries. I thought about posting a few pictures at a time and stretching it out over a couple of weeks but that only adds to the online tasks I would need to do so.... here you go, some macro highlights from the past couple months:



Bayou Skipper that I stumbled across in some milkweed gone to seed - Shot specs: Olympus OM-D E-M1 - Zuiko 60mm - f/8 - ISO 200 - SS 1/20 - A gentle puff of fill flash with Olympus TF-22 @ 1/128

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zfb6JK7-QPQ/VOGBgGrQZtI/AAAAAAAAKSk/Q4_ro_s1RkM/w600-h572/Skipper%2B-%2B03%2B-%2Bbw08nw%2B-02.jpg

Crane fly - Field Stack - Cool morning allowed me to set up field rig and shoot a stack of this crane fly - Shot specs - Olympus OM-D E-M1 - Zuiko 60mm - f/8.0 - ISO 200 - SS 1/13 - A puff of flash for fill with olympus TF-22 @ 1/128. 16 image stack of a live subject in the field.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BNAx2Pq2M1U/VOgjsIL7fEI/AAAAAAAAKjc/Y-xAqo3AM0c/w600-h450/Cranefly%2BField%2Bstack%2B-%2Bbw08nw_-2.jpg

Gerber Daisy Stack - simple stack of store purchase daisy with exposure bracketing - Shot specs: Olympus OM-D EM1, Zuiko 60mm - f/4.0 - ISO 100 (LOW) - SS 1/250 - 600RT-EX flash with DIY diffuser @ 1/128, 1/32, and 1/8 power.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ND6LaYP50Yw/VPFi6sENwrI/AAAAAAAAK0M/EkFehIab16g/w600-h450/gerber-daisy-stack-02-2.jpg

Dewy Anole - This is an ambient light, 25 image field stack of a dew laden Anole. The lizard was motionless for the most part but there was eye movement as it watched the water drop in the lower left portion of the frame slowly move down the twig. There was also rib cage movement from inhaling and exhaling. Shot Specs - Canon 5D-III, Sigma 105mm Macro @1:1, Ambient Light - f/7.1, ISO 200, SS .4 Second, 25 image stack.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BEAQDOdPenY/VQpOUNXrPII/AAAAAAAALWY/73hDht1bPCM/w600-h450/anole%2Bwith%2Bdew-%2Bbw08nw%2B-%2B0002.jpg

Rainbow Eyes - Testing out a new homemade diffuser. Basically a sheet of diffuser sandwiched between two pieces of packing styrene and lamented. Attached Flexi Ties to the sheet so I could mold it and/or position it anyway I so desired. Not sold on the diffuser yet but it shows promise and being able to form it as I see fit makes it more versatile in the field. Shot specs: Single shot handheld - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65mm @ ~3:1 - F11 - SS 1/80 - ISO160 - Canon 600RT-EX flash at 1/16 power.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zP_gSWPUG7A/VRofqoy2bUI/AAAAAAAALjM/53xTheliiwM/w600-h400/rainbow%2Beyes-%2Bbw8nwfc%2B-%2B01.jpg

Oh No Not Another Lady Bug! - Testing out sheet diffuser on a lady bug. Shot specs: Single shot handheld - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65mm @ ~3:1 - f/13 - SS 1/200 - ISO200 - Canon 600RT-EX flash at 1/8 power. Slight compositional crop in post.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vYW9ml6Gndc/VRtwP2seuFI/AAAAAAAALn4/FzHCaPbWy3M/w600-h400/lady%2Bbug%2B-%2Bnew%2Bdiffuser%2B-%2Bbw8nwfc%2B-%2B01.jpg

The Elusive Jumper - Last year I finally started to see jumpers in the field but my photographs were limited to 1:1 shots of very small subjects. Not the eye popping, detail drenched, close-ups of the adorable critters head on. This day was no different but instead of going for the head on shot right off the bat I opted for a side profile. Image specs: Single shot handheld - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65mm @ ~3:1 - f/13 - SS 1/160 - ISO200 - Canon 600RT-EX flash at 1/8 power.



Translucence - I found the opaqueness of this sawfly larvae most fascinating. I first noticed a few on the bayou banks last a week prior. Efforts to photograph it with my sheet diffuser didn’t produce the result I was looking for. I returned the next week with a concave hard box hoping the wrap around properties would give me the illumination I wanted. Single shot handheld - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65mm @ ~2:1 - f/13 - SS 1/50 - ISO200 - Canon 600RT-EX flash at 1/8 power with DIY concave diffuser.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vaS9l7yR0iU/VR9dMLlwVjI/AAAAAAAAL2U/Gy5-RJUuaS4/w600-h400/caterpillar%2B-%2Bdiffuser%2Brebuild%2B-%2Bbw8nwfc%2B-%2B04.jpg

Long Jaw Orb Weaver in the Wild Onion Patch - Out hiking, my planned route was extremely quiet. With not many bugs stirring I headed to a trail that runs very close to the bayou's edge. It’s a riparian forest with cedar elms, black willow, box elder, cottonwood, and the occasional live oak and cypress. Trees provide a nice canopy over the trail. I like to walk it in the summer when I need a break from the heat. I was surprised to find large patches of wild onion growing in the sandy loam. This long jaw orb weaver seemed quite at home in the onion patch. These are rather static subjects so I setup the tripod and shot a stack. Six Image Stack on Field Tripod Rig - Canon 5D-III, Sigma 105mm - f/11 - SS 1/6 - ISO100 - Canon MT24-EX flash at 1/16 power with DIY triangular diffuser.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bFxr9SMbOFw/VSH2mRvv9iI/AAAAAAAAL30/1FgFqG60zuM/w600-h365/longjaw%2Bstack%2Bonion-patch%2B-%2Bbbswne%2B%2B-%2B02.jpg


The Mimic - Pyrgota undata - Waved Light Fly - First noticed this character on the leaf of a wild onion stalk. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen one before. Then again, I may have seen one in passing and thought it was a brown paper wasp. I know, at first I thought this was a wasp. Focusing in with my macro lens, I immediately noticed the halteres and realized it was a wasp mimic. The shape and size of the eyes, along with the antennae were other indicators. It’s a docile fly and seemed oblivious to the setting up the field stacking rig. 20 Image Field Stack on Tripod Rig - Canon 5D-III, Sigma 105mm w 68mm tubes - f/5.6 - SS 1/15 - ISO200 - Canon MT-24-EX with DIY triangular diffuser.


http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qLmgOIQGiDM/VSs6WwrGC9I/AAAAAAAAL98/sypWDVkzGxg/w600-h478/brown-fly-%2B20image%2Bfield%2Bstack%2B-%2Bbbespw%2B-%2B02.jpg


June Bug - Rhizotrogus majalis - Tabletop Stack This is a European chafer, the bane of fine upstanding southern lawns throughout the United States. As a child I was fascinated by these beetles and would keep them in shoeboxes with plastic wrap windows. Sixty Image Stack on Tabletop Rig - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65mm @3.5:1 - f/4 - SS 1/40 - ISO100 - Canon MT24-EX flash at 1/8 power with DIY triangular diffuser.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kCZRcDu0cIw/VTSFJ5LYVUI/AAAAAAAAMJ4/gdTW9xEpHgU/w600-h400/june-bug-stack%2B-%2B60images%2B-%2Bzerene-ps%2Bmix.jpg


The Fierce Flea Beetle - At least one would think so from the pose. In reality they are benign and usually quite shy. I first tried to photograph these a couple of years ago but due to their small size, ~7mm long, and poor diffusion technique I couldn’t get an acceptable photograph. Single Shot Handheld - Canon 5D-III, Sigma 105mm w/68mm Ext. Tubes @ 2:1 - f/13 - SS 1/80 - ISO200 - 600EX RT with DIY concave hardbox. 1x1 square crop in post.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SuxUs1RG2nE/VT22_kBVtiI/AAAAAAAAMXs/4ItSeATQh2g/s600/flea%2Bbeetle%2B-%2Bbw08swop%2B-%2B01.jpg


Phoan Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) - Early morning photograph taken right after the butterfly opened it’s wings to warm in the early sun. Shot with concave diffuser cocked 45 degrees to illuminate from over head. Single Shot Handheld - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65 @ 1.5:1 - f/16 - SS 1/80 - ISO200 - 600EX RT @ 1/16 power with DIY concave hardbox. Slight compositional crop.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CS0VohkncCU/VUWkkSfzyfI/AAAAAAAAMeU/-W_JSpcgiSg/w600-h400/butterfly%2Boverhead%2B-%2Bbw08nw-01.jpg


Assassin Bug Nymph - Image specs: Single Shot Handheld - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65 @ ~2:1 - f/11 - SS 1/80 - ISO200 - 600EX RT with DIY concave hardbox.




Bark Lice - (Cerastipsocus venosus) Case of a common name conjuring up disdain. These insects have nothing in common with the parasitic namesakes. In fact they are beneficial to trees. Their diet consists of lichen, fungi, dead bark, etc found on tree bark. In effect they are tree Hoovers. An interesting critter to observe as they cluster together and when frightened move en masse, like a herd of animals. I found a cluster on a branch of a bald cypress tree in one of the many oxbow lakes that dot the bayou.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Rgh8jkLifFQ/VUhFE_t-c7I/AAAAAAAAMv4/5o3khucOyvs/w600-h400/odd%2Bflies%2Bx2%2B-%2Bbw08nw-01.jpg

The Mitey June Bug - I sat under the bridge waiting I noticed an unusual sight, a June Bug on the underside of a leaf. It’s very rare to see these out in the day. I flipped the leaf over, using the opportunity to photograph the beetle and fiddle with my diffuser. As I drew focus, the critter started to stir and I discovered why it wasn’t nestled away in the ground litter or up in the trees. Unfortunately, it had been compromised by mites.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_f6f8sY_oGQ/VUmaqa4y3-I/AAAAAAAAM04/D0PKvC9GixE/w600-h400/the%2Bmitey%2Bjune%2Bbug%2B-%2Bbbdaswub%2B-%2B03.jpg

Ole Blue Eyes - Not quite sure of the ratio on this shot as my eye was glued to the viewfinder. My best guess is the end of the lens was ~ 12 inches away. After this shot the Dragonfly had enough of my foolishness and took flight. Exposure was good, so I was able to do a heavy square crop and still get some nice detail. Single Shot Handheld - Canon 5D-III, Sigma 105mm with 68mm of Tubes - f/13 - SS 1/80 - ISO200 - 600EX RT with DIY concave hard box cocked 45 degrees, heavy square crop.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0G_0j6kh5sk/VUrg0GQMnfI/AAAAAAAAM7E/iK3Pxo1tmXY/s600/dragonfly%2B-%2Bblue%2Beyes%2B-%2Bbbnweeasement%2B-%2B01.jpg

Striped Cucumber Beetle (Acalymma vittatum) Hokey Pokey - Headed to a remote drainage basin today for some peace, quiet, and macro photography. Scrub bushes were full of mating Striped Cucumber Beetles. It was easy pickings as the females were fat and slow to move.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Bk9x4YjteAY/VVAyyAT1EmI/AAAAAAAANBo/dd_PmGzGm1w/w600-h400/striped%2Bcucumber%2Bbeetle%2B-%2Beld-wbt%2B-%2B01.jpg

Orange Blister Beetle (Zonitis vittigera) - One of the first beetles I ever photographed in the field was an Orange Blister Beetle. Every year since, when I see Cone Flowers I look for blister beetles and ply the macro trade. It is interesting to go back and compare how the current batch of photos stack up against previous efforts. This year the beetle threw me a curveball and was feasting on an Indian Blanket bloom. Single Shot Handheld - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65 @ ~2:1 - f/13 - SS 1/100 - ISO200 - MT24EX with DIY concave hardbox, compositional crop.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SygeQLJSfEU/VVwTFvzCN7I/AAAAAAAANQ4/NAb-bOvq4tk/w600-h400/blister-beetle%2B-%2Beld-wbt%2B-01-2.jpg

No Hokey Pokey for Me :-( Striped Cucumber Beetles were frolicking in the bush, playing Cucumber Beetle games. This was one of the few I found without a potential mate. From the looks of it he took the high branch looking for another lonely soul amongst the scrub.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AS-M1N8swHk/VV1RLCkA8mI/AAAAAAAANaU/j2sHaEJMSq0/s600/striped%2Bcucumber%2Bbeetle%2B-%2Beld-wbt%2B-02.jpg


From the Willow Top, Simply a Shell - Not sure what beetle this is. I discovered many of them in the upper branches of a willow tree as I walked a pedestrian that crosses the bayou. The bridge is 20+ feet above the bayou below. I like taking my time crossing it and peering into a world that is typically out of my normal macro sphere. I was quite surprised to find the willow tops teeming with these beetles. I shot the standard fare of side profile, head on, and 1/4 view shots but none seemed to do justice to the shell so I broke the macro rule and took the dreaded overhead shot. In the case of this beetle I feel the choice to focus on the elytra worked out well. Image specs: Single Shot Handheld - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65 @ ~2:1 - f/13 - SS 1/100 - ISO200 - MT24EX with DIY concave hardbox, Compositional Crop.



White-Scaled Flower Weevil - Odontocorynus denticornis - I found this fellow in an open field atop a wildflower. I noticed it early on while it lay asleep. As I photographed, it slowly stirred to life and became aware of my presence. It flew off several times only to return to a flower in the patch. Each time I would move in and start photographing it again. We played this game of fly off, land on a new flower, attempt to photograph, fly off ……… for the better part of an hour. Eventually hunger or perhaps it became comfortable with me around that only a sudden movement on my part would send it scurrying around the petals or worse flying to the next flower. This picture was the result of my clumsiness. The Weevil scurried to the edge of the petal and I thought for sure it would take flight but it didn’t. Darnedest thing, it froze for a minute or two, like it was contemplating it’s next move. This allowed me time to squeeze off a few shots before it flew away. Thank you Mr. Weevil, much obliged. Single Shot Handheld - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65 @ ~3:1 - f/11 - SS 1/30 - ISO400 - 600EX-RT, DIY concave hardbox with EPE Foam Diffuser Face




Git Along Little Dogies On one of my macro ventures I noticed a discontinuous brown blob on the branch of a plant. Closer inspection revealed 4 ants tending a herd of aphids. I have read about this behavior, seen videos and photographs but never witnessed it in person. Very entertaining to watch through the macro lens. For the most part the aphids were still but the ants moved along the herd keeping them in a tight knit mass. I gained new respect for those who photograph these scenes as the ants were in constant motion. To make matters worse the wind picked up. Tired of constant branch jitter I propped the camera on my left knee and secured the branch with my hand. Single Shot Hand Secured on Human Tripod - Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65 @ ~4:1 - f/10 - SS 1/160 - ISO400 - 600EX-RT, DIY concave hardbox with EPE Foam Diffuser Face.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IFjwXMeaT6Q/VWfXPq97iXI/AAAAAAAAN7g/b5Nhcu-Cfdk/w600-h369/ant%2Brounding%2Bup%2Baphids-%2Belddb%2B-%2B01.jpg

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

First of all welcome back.

And what a stunning set. All are beautiful.

Allen

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

I was getting worried you might have cashed in your chips without revealing all your secrets.

A-PeeR Loc: Houston, Texas

Thank you Allen, It is good to be back. Hopefully life doesn't get in the way of my plans more often.

A-PeeR Loc: Houston, Texas

Still a few chips left in my pockets. Learned a few new tricks so there is more to tell ;-)

infestation Loc: Brampton, Cumbria, UK

Quality set and great write up, pleasure to look over.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Excellent captures and fine text info. You are most welcome back.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Glad you stopped back in, A wonderful collection of photos, it's almost like watching a documentary on Macro Photograph. You should be giving seminars on the art of Macro photography. Love the use of ambient light in many of these photos. Shame their all together as they all desire comments.

waltchilds Loc: Central Florida

Wow! These are all exceptional. Nice work.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Welcome back William !!!! Nice selection of images....

evenic Loc: South Australia

Outstanding William, welcome back :thumbup:

napabob Loc: Napa CA

nicely done series (no surprise) and helps explains where/what you've been doing........... :-D

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Most excellent series. Thank you. Good to have you back.

Dennis

tinusbum Loc: east texas

glad your back william! great shots!

A-PeeR Loc: Houston, Texas

Thanks infestation, glad to read someone likes the read ;-)