I'm usually holding on to whatever the critter is perched on with my left hand, and then I rest the lens on that same hand so both the subject and the camera are on the same "platform". Gives me a lot of control over the framing and where I want the area of acceptable focus to be. Any residual motion is frozen by the flash.Solitary bees due to their personality and their eyes.
It was sunny and warm enough this morning for the critters to get active, but it got cloudy and the temperature dropped so I went looking for something to photograph. I found a male European Blue Mason Bee semi-active on a Dandelion and decided to go for a high magnification portrait.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (4x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI and Clarity in that order. I positioned the subject close to a marble step so I could use it as a reflector for the flash to keep the background from being black.
View attachment 15531Blue Mason Bee by John Kimbler, on Flickr
Love the sharpness and detail in these photos.Solitary bees due to their personality and their eyes.
It was sunny and warm enough this morning for the critters to get active, but it got cloudy and the temperature dropped so I went looking for something to photograph. I found a male European Blue Mason Bee semi-active on a Dandelion and decided to go for a high magnification portrait.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (4x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI and Clarity in that order. I positioned the subject close to a marble step so I could use it as a reflector for the flash to keep the background from being black.
View attachment 15531Blue Mason Bee by John Kimbler, on Flickr
Wow thank you! amazing tips and pictures. I've never thinking about putting my camera on the same hand where I hold a subject and bring my own syrup to attract them.Solitary bees due to their personality and their eyes.
It was sunny and warm enough this morning for the critters to get active, but it got cloudy and the temperature dropped so I went looking for something to photograph. I found a male European Blue Mason Bee semi-active on a Dandelion and decided to go for a high magnification portrait.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (4x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI and Clarity in that order. I positioned the subject close to a marble step so I could use it as a reflector for the flash to keep the background from being black.
View attachment 15531Blue Mason Bee by John Kimbler, on Flickr
Love the pictures. Sharp.I can't really say I have a favorite subject, at least not yet. I enjoy shooting anything I find interesting...insects, flowers, food, water, common household items...anything. A couple examples....a clover flower and potato beetle.
View attachment 13668
View attachment 13669
The depth of field is so thin when shooting single frames that I had to come up with a way to keep a scene as steady as possible. It also allows me to chose where I want the area of acceptable focus to start, and then twist my wrist to lay it over the curve of the subject's face. The result is an image that looks like it has more depth than it actually does.Solitary bees due to their personality and their eyes.
It was sunny and warm enough this morning for the critters to get active, but it got cloudy and the temperature dropped so I went looking for something to photograph. I found a male European Blue Mason Bee semi-active on a Dandelion and decided to go for a high magnification portrait.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (4x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI and Clarity in that order. I positioned the subject close to a marble step so I could use it as a reflector for the flash to keep the background from being black.
View attachment 15531Blue Mason Bee by John Kimbler, on Flickr
I'm usually holding on to whatever the critter is perched on with my left hand, and then resting the lens on that same hand to help keep the scene steady.Solitary bees due to their personality and their eyes.
It was sunny and warm enough this morning for the critters to get active, but it got cloudy and the temperature dropped so I went looking for something to photograph. I found a male European Blue Mason Bee semi-active on a Dandelion and decided to go for a high magnification portrait.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (4x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI and Clarity in that order. I positioned the subject close to a marble step so I could use it as a reflector for the flash to keep the background from being black.
View attachment 15531Blue Mason Bee by John Kimbler, on Flickr
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