The more I shoot the more I agree with Strobist: The actual camera settings are not important. The only thing that really matters is how you set the exposure of the various light sources that make up an image. I'll tell you that I shot at F8 because I wanted the depth it offers and I needed some background separation. I'll also tell you that I kept my shutter speeds above 1/400 because I was hand holding a 180mm L macro lens. But the really important part was that I was shooting in manual mode and adjusting the shutter to keep the light meter between -1 and -2. I was also using an MR-14EX set to -2 FEC. In post I ran NoiseWare Professional, adjusted the exposure up by 1/2 a stop, set a black point in the dragon shot (not necessary for the butterfly), and brought the middle levels (the gray point) to .98 (by default it's at zero). I used the auto sharpen option and added my copyright to the EXIF data.
Dalantech wrote:
I'll also tell you that I kept my shutter speeds above 1/400 because I was hand holding a 180mm L macro lens. But the really important part was that I was shooting in manual mode and adjusting the shutter to keep the light meter between -1 and -2.
John, you must have been shooting around midday to be able to keep the shutter at or above 1/400 if you were between -1 and -2 on the meter. Yes? This is the only way I can get any ambient light in an exposure: to underexpose the ambient by between -1 and -2. This is when it helps ME to be shooting off a tripod: early mornings, the only way to keep shutterspeeds up anywhere near that high is to shoot an ISO that Noiseware can't fix...at least, on my D200. It sucks above ISO800 Makes me wanna go out and get a D700.
In post I ran NoiseWare Professional, adjusted the exposure up by 1/2 a stop, set a black point in the dragon shot (not necessary for the butterfly), and brought the middle levels (the gray point) to .98 (by default it's at zero). I used the auto sharpen option and added my copyright to the EXIF data.
This describes, almost to a 'T' what I do with my meager PP skills...all except for adding a copyright to the EXIF.
Gorgeous shots, BTW. You never cease to amaze me, John.
It was between 4 and 5 in the afternoon -the sun was a little low and behind me so I was able to shoot at ISO 400 and keep the shutter speeds between 1/400 and 1/800 (shifting cloud cover).
wow - that shot #2 is (IMVHO) one of your best dragonfly shots to date - and all of them are very good, this one has just got a praticularly lovley quality to it. How do you like that 180L? Haven't seen you post shots with it before.
MichAg92 wrote:
wow - that shot #2 is (IMVHO) one of your best dragonfly shots to date - and all of them are very good, this one has just got a praticularly lovley quality to it. How do you like that 180L? Haven't seen you post shots with it before.
Thanks Amy -just got the lens today and took it for a spin Definitely "L" glass -excellent color and contrast and it's razor sharp.
Very nice John...you know the vibriant violet red you get from those dragons with your rig is insanely rich...you should market a maybelline lipstick color and call is something like Dalantech-Darter-Violet
I pretty much blew my camera budget for the year but it's worth it to be able to drop down to just two lenses in the bag (the MPE-65mm being the other one).
Makes me wanna go out and get a D700. 
Definitely "L" glass -excellent color and contrast and it's razor sharp.
! Sounds like a great marketing idea Roy