Two beetles or not two beetles
Nov 16, 2019 11:13:32 #
The first picture shows a pair of rose chafer beetles (Macrodactylus sp.). There were several of these on wild daisies in a field, generally doing whatever these were doing. This picture is a stack of 3 pictures. Pretty significant movement among the pix, but touching up in Zerene Stacker was easy. A leg was painted in here, an elytra painted in there. A little bit of Gimp was used to fix what ZS could not handle.
Rose chafer beetles by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Next are some snipe flies. These beautiful Dipterans are common on low on vegetation in wooded areas, and I really should to ‘go after’ them more. The first is the golden-backed snipe fly (Chrysophilus thoracicus), and the second is the ornate snipe fly (Chrysophilus ornatus). This individual was especially tolerant of the camera. The last picture is a stack of two pictures.
Golden-backed snipe fly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Ornate snipe fly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Check out the posh "undercarriage"!
Ornate snipe fly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Ornate snipe fly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
I frequently photograph different focal points of a subject, with the intention of maybe later hand-stitching various parts together in Gimp in order to increase the depth of focus. This can be tedious at times. But now I have Zerene Stacker, and it is being learned that some of these pictures can be quickly merged in ZS for the same effect. So next summer I’m going to do a lot more “focus bracketing” on purpose! No special equipment is required, really, if one wants to just combine 2-4 pictures.
Rose chafer beetles by Mark Sturtevant, on FlickrNext are some snipe flies. These beautiful Dipterans are common on low on vegetation in wooded areas, and I really should to ‘go after’ them more. The first is the golden-backed snipe fly (Chrysophilus thoracicus), and the second is the ornate snipe fly (Chrysophilus ornatus). This individual was especially tolerant of the camera. The last picture is a stack of two pictures.
Golden-backed snipe fly by Mark Sturtevant, on FlickrOrnate snipe fly by Mark Sturtevant, on FlickrCheck out the posh "undercarriage"!
Ornate snipe fly by Mark Sturtevant, on FlickrOrnate snipe fly by Mark Sturtevant, on FlickrI frequently photograph different focal points of a subject, with the intention of maybe later hand-stitching various parts together in Gimp in order to increase the depth of focus. This can be tedious at times. But now I have Zerene Stacker, and it is being learned that some of these pictures can be quickly merged in ZS for the same effect. So next summer I’m going to do a lot more “focus bracketing” on purpose! No special equipment is required, really, if one wants to just combine 2-4 pictures.
Nov 16, 2019 18:02:13 #
What beautiful Snipe flies, I have never seen one. All well shot and well stacked.
Nov 16, 2019 18:19:39 #
Nov 16, 2019 19:00:05 #
Nov 17, 2019 09:58:21 #
Tonyf1234
Loc: Hyattsville, MD
Love the Snipe fly pics. I'm wanting to get into stacking myself. Look forward to seeing more of your work.
Nov 17, 2019 10:28:55 #
Mark, I bow in the presence of your greatness! The quality of this series of images is astounding and I always enjoy reading the educational narratives you provide.
Nov 17, 2019 12:40:28 #
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