sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

This is a vividly colored and highly reflective beetle that I came across yesterday in my search for photo opportunities. There were quite many of them and I brought one back for a focus stacked session.

Highly reflective subjects are quite a challenge with the intensity of light that reflects off of them. Like a jewel, the colors flip and flop based on how the light strikes them. The camera's exposure meter is of little help so there is quite a bit of trial and error with test shots. This is about as good as I could do with all things given.

As always, thanks in advance to all who view and for your comments, suggestions and critique.

(Download)

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Fantastic image!!!! Frank
How did you get it to sit still?
Frank

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

Up to your usual level of work.
It is funny, but once one person posts then many will find the same subject. Happens in three's.
This is a Dogbane Leaf Beetle. They are emerging across the US.
They feed on their namesake, Dogbane, on Indian Hemp and on milkweed. So they are toxic and noxious.
Good that you are out and about, Gary.
Tried a balance on my camera. I will just bow to age and use a tripod.
Just have to get in the habit and carry one.
Bill

tinusbum Loc: east texas

i think you did really good! to shiny for me to do good

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks for the beetle ID. I've seen them before and they are fairly abundant (not as abundant as the Japanese Beetles which are everywhere I look).

I posted a picture of one of them taken in the field yesterday and I brought one back with me for a focus stacking session.

That was my first time out with my makeshift pendulum counterbalance. I could see a difference in holding focus so now the game is afoot to improve upon it...or abandon the idea altogether.

Without a doubt, a tripod is the ultimate solution and if I had an insect attracting garden setting I would surely set one up, sit back and relax with a cold beer and wait for nature to come to me....and if it doesn't, well that's why beer comes in six-packs.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

An excellent image! The colors and form of this beetle will hold up well. It won't appreciably fade or shrivel up, so you will have plenty of opportunities to experiment.
My only suggestion is to try to absolutely surround the beetle in an enclosure with strong but not overblown light and strong reflected light. Any appreciable gap in this will result in dark areas. I am sure you know that there are people who even put white reflective paper or foil around the face of the lens, excepting for the glass surface. Another method is to put specimens inside a ping-pong ball, with the lens inserted into a small opening in the ball and the lights shine on the ball from the outside & in various directions. I expect that both of these methods can be done together in order to really surround the subject.
The beetle is a bit too large for a regular ping pong ball but there are giant ping pong balls that you can get on Amazon (about the size of a tennis ball, I think). Anyway, it is something to consider.

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

Are these true colors?
Meaning pigment, or refractive colors?
I think refracted, because,as you said, the color is quite fast.
Regardless, they are pretty, pretty nasty tasting, too.
Give one to a toad. The faces they make🤣🤣.
Bill

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Frank,

If I have a specimen that I want to stage and then return to the outdoors, I put them in the freezer for a bit which puts them into a hibernation mode. Everything has to be pre-setup for time is of the essence at that point. A 'stand-in' is used to set the camera and lighting and after a few test shots, they are ready to come out of cold storage. The heat from the lights or the room will revive them and they will start to twitch and eventually move off focus and walk around.

I've recently obtained a halogen light generator with dual fiber optic flexible light pipes that emits cool light so I can get more working time with delicate subjects like the Mayfly that I recently posted.

Insects that are quite abundant or that are considered to be invasive or pests get dispatched in the 'kill jar' {Ethyl Acetate} and preserved for future sessions of various views and magnifications. I preserve the soft bodied specimens in denatured alcohol. Fuzzy or furry ones get stored dry in containers with mothballs and refrigerated for long term storage. I place grub type insects into scalding water to kill the internal digestive bacteria before placing them in the alcohol.

I stage the specimens in a view that the mounting pin is not in the frame of view. Some I set on a piece of colored paper. A few I set in a natural setting although that requires a wider field of view which is less magnified.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Your usual great stacking work. Great job.

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

I applaud your ethical approach.

Mike

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Bill, in different views they are more of a beautiful metallic green. They remind me of the automobiles that were painted with what was referred to as "Flip-Flop" paint where the perceived color would change depending on the angle of light striking it. The auto body shops hated it for it was nearly impossible for them to repair sections of the car without being noticable.

Here's a picture of one of those painted automobiles that are much like the beetle.

(Download)

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Mike, since I started in this venue of photography my outlook toward insects and spiders has completely changed to that of "do no harm". There are many specimens that I find so fascinating that I would never harm them in any way.

They have to be overly abundant, considered to be invasive or a recognized pest or with a venomous bite or sting for me to preserve them. Thankfully there are more than enough around here that meet that criteria. I find many of my specimens dead now that I know where to look for them (in the floor lamp shades, the sun room, around the porch light, the garage and shed and even my basement).

Last year Mark shared a few techniques to sedate insects which is where I learned how to do it. I started out by going to the local pet shop and buying a bag of thirty feeder crickets to practice with and I found out the difference between sedating them with cold vs. killing them with freezing....opps!

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Mark, thanks for the informative suggestions which is why I enjoy posting here. I'm always looking for ways to improve the quality of my images and experimenting with ways to do it.

I purchased packages of ping-pong balls a while back (if one pack is good then more are better) for just this purpose. I've been less than successful with them in the past however your suggestion drives me to try again.

If I'm successful, I'll post the results and if not, at least it will fill time in my day.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

If they weren't successful then perhaps the reason is that they were tried in your early stages. It could be a very different story now.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Mark, I cut a hole in a ping-pong ball a while ago and put a little black and yellow beetle that Bill sent to me in it. I had to cut a slit in it so that I could get the pinned specimen into the ping-pong ball which worked out very well. I poked a small hole in the back and stuck a wood matchstick in it for the alligator clip to hold it in place for positioning.

I've finish the shooting session and it is currently processing so I'll know later how it stacks and if it is post worthy.