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Fresh ideas for 2018..macro


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Good afternoon Kelvedon, 

 

I do use full frame ,canon 5d mk3 and lightroom editing .

 

After following replies I have kept 100macro....but still purchased 180 l lense and angle finder and remote release....

If these purchases don't produce sales I am in trouble with my considerate and understanding Wife! 

 

But thanks to all for replies

 

 

Sparks!!

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2 hours ago, Larbug said:

That's the joys of it Betty. Early morning is the best time for butterflies and dragonflies etc. as they're too cold to fly away. I'm not an early bird however but hope to get up very early a few mornings at least this summer. :)

Larry..

You’ve maybe heard the childhood song, “Round and round the mulberry bush”?  You should have seen me chasing bees “round and round the Crepe myrtle bush.” 

I think I wore a path.

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9 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

You’ve maybe heard the childhood song, “Round and round the mulberry bush”?  You should have seen me chasing bees “round and round the Crepe myrtle bush.” 

I think I wore a path.

Don't chase them.  Get yourself comfortable beside an insect attracting plant - I use a folding garden chair - and let the bees come to you.  Save your energy for the processing and uploading :)  I got these shots sitting beside my Sedum spectabile plant, cool drink close by.

 

male-sweat-bee-lasioglossum-calceatum-feeding-on-sedum-flowers-E60TB4.jpg

 

worker-of-the-european-honey-bee-apis-mellifera-feeding-on-nectar-F27JMF.jpg

 

red-tailed-bumblebee-bombus-lapidarius-feeding-on-sedum-spectabile-E8RF0D.jpg

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Ahhh, John, ye of patience! I need more of that!  Beautiful shots, btw. I have never seen a bumblebee with an orange bottom in these parts. Or any orange on it, for that matter. Yours is quite the fuzzy thing, too.

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Guest Larbug
2 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

You’ve maybe heard the childhood song, “Round and round the mulberry bush”?  You should have seen me chasing bees “round and round the Crepe myrtle bush.” 

I think I wore a path.

 

One of the few times I have gotten out before 6am :)

 

Banded Demoiselle Damselfly male (Calopteryx splendens) perched on a rotten plant stem. Cahir, Tipperary, Ireland. Stock Photo

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2 hours ago, Webby said:

Slightly different take....dont have any macro lenses, this is Canon 200-400 at full zoom. Far enough away not to scare off the subject. Hand held, Canon 7d.

dragonfly-on-thistle-head-cyprus-DJ6493.

That’s a good point, Webby.  This summer, while waiting for the Fuji 80mm macro to ship, I shot some butterflies with my 100-400 lens.  It wasn’t bad at all, but I was somewhat tripped up by the longer focus distance. I couldn’t fill the frame with the butterfly.

But I did find it very good for larger-than-butterfly flowers, giving creamy backgrounds.

 

Of course, my macro shipped after the first hard freeze. :angry:

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On 12/30/2017 at 04:09, Larbug said:

My port on here is all insects and invertebrates mainly. Mostly shot with the Olympus 60mm macro and Em5mkii handheld with diffused flash. The lightest and best system I've ever used for my macro work. Tripods only get in the way imo unless you're focus stacking an insect that stays still. Most insects don't wait around for you to set up your tripod.

There's lots of scope for macro images of insects etc from extreme close ups of compound eyes and other details to wider shots showing habitat etc. I find the Olympus 60mm slightly short but fieldcraft and stealth gets me as close as I need. For tiny 1-2mm Globular Springtails I attach a Raynox MSN202 macro attachment. 

 

Fabulous portfolio! I'm planning to sell much of my Nikon gear and get myself another Oly mirrorless this year along with a macro lens. I'm curious, what flash are you are using? The guys at PhotoExpo told me I could use my Nikon flash with my OMD-E1 (the tiny flash that came with it doesn't work most of the time and is useless even when it does) but my Nikon SB-600 is about the same size as my camera, so I want to get something that keeps my kit as light as possible. What do you recommend and how do you diffuse it? Do you use a ring flash? Appreciate any tips. Thanks!

 

 

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I'm keeping the 105 macro (an old non-AI one I bought on ebay eons ago but it's not like you can really use autofocus for macro, at least I don't think I could). I'm keeping the D700 and my 24-70mm and the 105mm, and selling off everything else. I was going to sell off the D700 but the folks at B&H convinced me I should keep it and a few lenses for studio work since I won't have a full frame otherwise and the bokeh/background is really better on a full frame. I can always take it out to my small garden too.

 

I haven't sold any macro shots here, though a few abstract backgrounds keep earning me hundreds every year on those sites that shall not be named, and my flower macros have done well enough at a few pop-up and gallery shows, so my 105mm has certainly earned its keep. I also use my long lenses, especially my monster Sigma 50-500mm (sharp as a tack at 500mm and if I shoot fast I can even handhold it) for macros too. Easier to focus LOL.

 

I'd love to know what you think of the 60mm Betty. Nice bokeh from what I can see Larbug. Really would love to figure out a flash setup.

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Guest Larbug
1 hour ago, Marianne said:

 

Fabulous portfolio! I'm planning to sell much of my Nikon gear and get myself another Oly mirrorless this year along with a macro lens. I'm curious, what flash are you are using? The guys at PhotoExpo told me I could use my Nikon flash with my OMD-E1 (the tiny flash that came with it doesn't work most of the time and is useless even when it does) but my Nikon SB-600 is about the same size as my camera, so I want to get something that keeps my kit as light as possible. What do you recommend and how do you diffuse it? Do you use a ring flash? Appreciate any tips. Thanks!

 

 

Thank you Marianne. Whether they'll sell or not is another thing but at least I'm giving them a chance. I already have a few insects that are the only ones on Alamy and others that don't have many in searches. I believe I have reasonably sharp well composed photos.

All I can do is try and advertise my Alamy port on social media.

I use the small Meike 320P flash on my Em5 Mkii. Got it on Amazon for around €60. For diffusion I have a cheap small softbox from eBay attached to the flash. Then in front of that I have a DIY diffuser attached to the end of the lens. Seems to work ok.

I find the Olympus 60mm macro an excellent sharp lens and autofocus is excellent also. It slows down slightly when a Raynox macro attachment is used but still good. I used to use Canon with the older Sigma 150mm macro non I.S. and had to use manual focus all the time for insects.

The Olympus gear just makes things easier. It's so light I often shoot one handed while I hold a leaf or plant etc any particular insect is on.

I also love the micro four thirds system for macro for the increased depth of field. I mostly use f11 which is the equivalent of f22 on full frame but without the amount of diffraction you'd get on full frame.

Hope this helps.

Larry.

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Guest Larbug
2 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Calopteryx splendens, female, perchance? One of my favourites.

It's a fresh male. Females have a yellow-green tint to the wings and lack the band on the wings.

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Thanks Larry! I'll see if I can find that Meike 320P flash. 

I was hoping to buy lenses while Olympus had their sale, but missed the deadline. I may wait until it warms up a bit to get the 60mm. It's been hovering just about 0 degrees (Fahrenheit) here in NY so not much call for outdoor macros at the moment, though I guess I could use it for snowflakes. 

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