Bug/grass/dewdrop mixture. Pretty certain the last two shots are male and female of the same gall midge species. All the shots are focus stacked but #2 was a bit extreme (midge was facing the wrong way).

brian V.

Very detailed. First two are very complex, which shows off your talent. They all have a surreal feel to them IMHO.

Fantastic series Brian! Brilliant light, details and compositions in all of themLike them all but n6 is really beautiful.

Regards,

Remus

Excellent images. The dew drop adds a lot to each one, but the last mosquito is great as well, especially on a red background.

Wow, Wow and Wow

Wow is right, beautiful shots Brian.

Rampai65 wrote:
Wow, Wow and Wow
That goes double for me. The first one looks like the critter is holding a crystal ball. Amazing shots, Brian. Thank you for shooting and showing them.
Kenny.

These are fantastic! Are they "as shot" or is there some photoshop involved? Either way, I like them alot.

Mike

Thanks for looking and the kind comments everyone - much appreciated

Mike - The only trickery is focus stacking to increase the DOF and me placing a flower behind the dewdrop (hopefully without disturbing the insect).

Brian V.

Superb series Brian, amazing the flys stay still, or are they too cold?
phil.

Great series!

Holy Cow..I thought I've seen your best but these are just over the top. Have you made friends with all your little buggies? They just seem to let you go about your business without any fear? I know these are totally authentic because I've seen so much of your great work, but wow, how do you do it?
Tom

Wow- those are beatiful. Can't believe my favorite is one with a fly, but I think #5 is absolutely stunning.

Super captures. My favorite is the 5th one.

Jude

Thanks for looking and commenting- much appreciated.

Phil and Tom -I think I operate a selection process on these, if the bug doesn't fly off when I try to put the flower behind it (many do) then it's likely to stay put whilst I photograph it. They are are obviously a bit cold and possibly damp down in the grass.

Brian V.

I'm sorry, I'm new to macro... what does focus stacked mean?

These shots are amazing! My favorites are #5 and #6. The composition and color on #6 is fantastic!

Can I ask you some questions?

How is your photo so sharp and the entire bug is in focus? I looked at the exif and you were shooting at f/7.1 with a 65mm...
I shoot with a 5D and I just got the 100mm macro and even when I shoot at f/11, DOF is so shallow...
Is it possible to get similar results with 5D and 100mm? Well, I don't need to get that close to tiny bugs, but I'll be working with wedding rings...

Lastly, how are you lighting your subject?

Thanks! Any help is greatly appreciated!

JLim wrote:
I'm sorry, I'm new to macro... what does focus stacked mean?

These shots are amazing! My favorites are #5 and #6. The composition and color on #6 is fantastic!

Can I ask you some questions?

How is your photo so sharp and the entire bug is in focus? I looked at the exif and you were shooting at f/7.1 with a 65mm...
I shoot with a 5D and I just got the 100mm macro and even when I shoot at f/11, DOF is so shallow...
Is it possible to get similar results with 5D and 100mm? Well, I don't need to get that close to tiny bugs, but I'll be working with wedding rings...

Lastly, how are you lighting your subject?

Thanks! Any help is greatly appreciated!


Thanks for the comments

Focus stacking is the answer to the second question- it allows you to extend the DOF. see http://www.wonderfulphotos.com/articles/macro/focus_stacking/

I just use a bracket mounted 430Ex flashgun -see pic below of setup (camera on the right).

Brian V.

Wonderful series Brian

Dalantech wrote:
Wonderful series Brian

Thanks John
Brian V.

Wonderfully clear images Brian.

How many images in a "stack" ?

MeanGreeny wrote:
Wonderfully clear images Brian.

How many images in a "stack" ?

Thanks
The number of images in the stack varies depending on the depth of the shot I want. I think these vary from 5 to 11 shots.

brian V.

Great stuff!

J

Nice series. I like your dew drop shots.

Thanks J and Gary for looking and commenting

Brian V.

LordV wrote:

Thanks for the comments

Focus stacking is the answer to the second question- it allows you to extend the DOF. see http://www.wonderfulphotos.com/articles/macro/focus_stacking/

I just use a bracket mounted 430Ex flashgun -see pic below of setup (camera on the right).

Brian V.




To be quite honest with you, that setup looks pretty hideous. It has duct tape all around a piece of paper towel... I don't know if I can copy your setup and use it during a wedding... =P

But I guess its not how your equipment looks, but how your results come out. And, your final images are wonderful.

Anyways, I just ordered the canon ring lite to go with the 100mm macro. I'll be happy if my results are half as good as yours.

Well, thank you for sharing your flash setup! I look forward to seeing more great shots from you.