Yesterday I popped new batteries in the ring flash and wandered out to see what creepy crawlies I could find. There wasn't much about and what there were weren't tame and cooperative. I clicked almost twenty four frames and failed to focus on the bit I wanted to focus on. I was using the 5D and not the EOS. I have a prismatic focus screen in the latter which makes light work of macro focusing. These little Pollen beetles are very small, 2mm long at best. They were also on Thistle heads which is something I've not noticed before. They are usually found on yellow things.....maybe these were colour blind.
It always takes a while for me to get my eye in using the MP-E 65mm lens also, like a Muppet, I'd forgotten to shut the aperture right down tiny small which on this lens is f16. Not really small enough for best depth of field but it is what it is. I had a good check this morning and found the dioptre adjustment was way out, not something I thought to check as I'm usually too lazy to use manual focus. Ho hum life can be a bugger. I'll pop out this afternoon and try to get some better looking snaps. I'll then bump the magnification to three or four times and get really close in.
That's all.
That's all.
It was your macro photography of beetles, bugs and so on that enthused me so much. I've had the occasional go with the 'big camera' and macro lens but haven't got the ring flash out yet. The problem this year has been the wind. Even today it's far too windy even to photograph a plant properly (even if I could see it through the mist). The other problem has been lockdown - I'm just far too busy to indulge by hobbies.
ReplyDeleteGraham, I quite enjoy it. To make life easy I use the strobe to freeze movement. Settings...when I remember.....are f16 or as small as possible. Speed is dependant on your camera/strobe sync speed...........Usually 200 or 250 on cameras of my vintage. Then I hold the camera in my right hand and the flower or leaf with the subject on in my left supporting the lens on my left arm/wrist. Focus is set to manual and I move everything till it looks sharp.
DeleteWind is a right bugger to deal with and makes life miserable.
Agnie, they are middling to poor but still interesting. I have just this minute posted some proper ones. It takes me an hour or so to get back into the job.
ReplyDelete