Spiders, flies and flowers

[clovishound]

Well, I'm trying my hand at macro photography. This morning I got up early, purloined the Pup's macro lens, and headed off to the swamp. Now, I haven't done any macro work since my film days, a couple decades ago. Even then, I didn't do much, and what I did was pretty pathetic. I had a great time this morning, and felt pretty good about what I brought back, being inexperienced at this type of photography. It makes a nice adjunct to bird photography, injecting a little change, and the ability to get some pics when the birds aren't cooperating.

A red orb weaver. Got him from several angles, but I like this one the best. Perhaps I should have waited until his forelegs were extended, but he seemed to keep them folded for the most part.

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This one may not appeal to a lot of folks, but it makes me think he's practicing for a motorcycle road race.

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Saw this guy hiding amongst the flowers.

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[BrokenolMarine]

I like this type of photography, although I don't do much of it any longer. You did great. Love the macro stuff. Consider catching the dew on the flowers, and reflections of the sun off various objects with that macro... I had good luck with it. I'll try and find some shots if I can. Again... great shots.

[clovishound]

Dew, did you say dew?

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This is just another flower picture. I do, however, kind of like the water droplets on the flower.

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Also, that first spider picture has water droplets outlining the web. It's a lot more obvious on a full screen image of it.

[BrokenolMarine]

I used to sit in the garden early in the morning to catch the bugs and flowers. I got lucky a couple times and have posted my Hummingbird moth here before. It was selected as a photo of the month in the Virginia Wildlife mag, so I'll pass on that one this time unless someone asks to see it, but these are pretty cool. Pollen duty...

I saw the bush buzzing with bees. They were rolling in it....

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Basically taking a pollen bath....

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The little pollen thieves came out covered in it....

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Then off they'd go, back to the hive...


It was a busy morning, the cycle seemed to continue, coming and going.

[BrokenolMarine]

I love that water drop pic... you can see another pic reflected in the drop. This was always one of MY favorites, I liked the water drop about to fall, and the contrasts in colors from light to dark of the mulch, and textures of the flower and the stone in the background. My wife always said I shouldn't explain, as my feminine side comes out when I do...

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[BrokenolMarine]

The Joseph's coat is an interesting flower. The flowers bloom a single color, blend into two, then change, then drop off the climbing vine. (Coat of Many Colors... LOL)

[clovishound]

Nice pictures. It's tough to get the bees right. They are constantly moving, sometimes behind things just as you hit the shutter. Plus, you need a faster shutter speed to stop motion, but also small apertures to maximize depth of field, so that the whole bee is in focus. That either means a lot of light, or a high ISO. I'm looking at getting a decent flash with wireless control and a mini soft box. That way we can introduce soft lighting from any direction.

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[BrokenolMarine]

Good on yah, I can no longer sit in the garden or the woods for any length of time. If I get down, it's too hard to get back up without help. Sigh... a crane maybe. Perhaps a stool? But the D40 I used died, and the camera I have now is WAY smarter than me and I haven't invested the time. The lenses are from an older camera and the new lenses are (OMG) expensive. I'll leave this hobby to you... YOU are so good at it. I would be genuflecting in admiration, but Miss T would have to come help me up.

[clovishound]

Thanks for the kind words. I definitely understand about being able to get up and down. I don't have any real problem with it right now, although I do feel like I need something to give me a little extra push back up if I have been kneeling or squatting down for a while.

I would point out that lots of closeup opportunities are available without getting down close to the ground. The spider pictures were all at standing height. Lots of common lenses these days are capable of fairly close focus. They probably won't go down to 1:1, like the Pup's macro, but lots of shots don't really need that kind of magnification. Not pushing you, you understand, just saying you can probably still do it, if you are interested. I also understand about moving on from a hobby. I've done that many times, without physical limitations involved.

[BrokenolMarine]

The biggest thing is the new camera body and twenty year old D40 lenses. I asked about new lenses and they ARE very expensive. I'd really rather spend that money on the hobbies we are really invested in, although a basic lens and perhaps a single decent telephoto wouldn't be bad down the road.