fullyexposed Loc: Illinois

I recently purchased a 90mm macro lens and I finally had time to get out and try it for it's intended use. I learned a lot on my first trip out. (1) I learned that ISO 100 is a must. (2) I learned that I need to get a good tripod, my current one is garbage and I don't even use it. All shots are hand held because of this. (3) I need lighting so I can actually use ISO 100. I am willing to take any CC that you want to offer. I am aware that focus and grain is a bit of an issue, but I'm still learning. I just walked around and took pictures of anything that I saw moving that would sit still long enough for me to get a shot on.

Some type of fly

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Wolf spider

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Damsel fly???

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Honey bee?

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rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

Good start. Lots of good info at the top of the true macro section.
I shoot ISO 400 regularly and even 800 on occasion, A little noise reductions in post processing takes care of the 'grain' and noise. Good lighting is a must, I use a GN 60 flash with a 6 X 8 inch diffuser.
I shoot with a tripod because I am very unsteady but lot of the folks that contribute to the true macro section shoot hand held. Most of us do manual focus as far as I know.
Your fly is a member of a group known as Long-legged flies. Yes, It's a damselfly, one of the group known as 'dancers' but I'm only familiar with my local species so I can't give you a full ID.
The bee does look like it is a European Honey Bee which is the common honey in the US.
Rick

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

This is a good start, and welcome! Low ISO is commendable, but you will need to go a bit higher if you want more depth of field with a smaller aperture. I think people can choose their own style and goals. Some really like the extensive out of focus effects of an extra wide aperture. But if having several points of interest be in focus at the same time, then the narrower aperture is usually needed. The little green long legged fly is a case in point. You have some parts in focus, but the near wing is not in focus and it would have been if the aperture were a bit smaller. I think this subject would have benefited from that. The background is flat, so it would have not been made 'busy' with a greater depth of field.
The damselfly picture is a really good example where macrophotography is a fun challenge. It is an underexposed picture (I will ignore that), and it is pretty obvious that you used a wide aperture since the background is well illuminated and it is lovely and soft. But on the down-side some points of interest of the subject are out of focus. If you want more of it in focus then more care would be needed in getting the camera exactly lined up. A tiny bit more depth of field with another stop in the aperture would help a lot in getting more points of interest in focus. As it happens, I am lately 'into' trying to get pictures of damselflies. I have settled on starting with f/10 or f/11 and whatever other settings (shutter speed, ISO, flash power) to get good exposure with that. Those f-stops are still pretty good at keeping a soft background, while also giving some depth of field. But it is oh so tricky to get all those things in focus. I still don't get it very often. But that is partly why this hobby is fun.

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

Welcome to our friendly group. You will get lots of help and encouragement here and yes, it is addictive.

fullyexposed Loc: Illinois

Thanks for all the info. I will try this out and hopefully I will get some of the amazing images I have seen posted.

fullyexposed Loc: Illinois

I guess I got lucky and knew most of the insects that I saw. I appreciate you responding. I will try the manual focus on my next trip out and see if I'm fast enough to get it. The damselfly that I got I chased for 20 minutes before it finally gave up and sat still. Just wish I had gotten a better shot of it at smaller aperture. Next time.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Sometimes, one just does not get the damselfly. One thing I do is to just sit down in the area where they were. They are territorial, and have their favorite perches. In about 5 minutes some come wandering back, settle in at close range, and even use me as a perch. I think they simply consider me as part of the scenery after a few minutes. But sometimes this does not work, or at least takes longer than I am willing to sit.

Curve_in Loc: Virginia

You are doing just fine. Tripods never seem to work for me, a basic, older off camera flash (SB-28) and some cardboard got me started down the path to better lighting. The thing that has helped me the most is watching what the bug I shoot do after the shot. That long-legged fly usually lands near by so I can get off a few shots in a few minutes. Keep posting and we'll keep trying to help!

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Most of us in this section hand-hold in the field, and use a diffused speedlight for illumination. My typical exposure is ISO 200, 1/200-sec at f/16 (for best DoF). Feel free to ask questions, and peruse macro set-ups starting on page 4: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-32754-4.html