At nature reserve - 1st time in two years

[gardenersassistant]

What with Covid and some other stuff it has been almost two years since I last visited any of our local nature reserves. It was a real pleasure to visit one of them again. It was rather breezy with not too much around, but enough to let me continue exploring the possibilities and probe the weaknesses of my still somewhat experimental rig: Sony A7ii with a pair of 2X Kenko teleconverters and a Laowa 100m 2X macro lens, with a Venus Optics KX800 twin flash.

These were captured raw and processed with a preset in DXO PhotoLab then image-specific adjustments in Lightroom and then two presets in Topaz DeNoise AI.

#1

1885 06 2021_05_06 DSC01327_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAIauto DNAIcLoLo by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

#2

1885 10 2021_05_06 DSC01347_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAIauto DNAIcLoLo by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

#3

1885 36 2021_05_06 DSC01423_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAIauto DNAIcLoLo by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

#4

1885 41 2021_05_06 DSC01456_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAIauto DNAIcLoLo by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

#5

1885 66 2021_05_06 DSC01531_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAIauto DNAIcLoLo by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

 

[JimFox]

Hey Nick! This is amazing what you found here. I am glad to hear you were able to get out, and you sure got rewarded.

I have to say with #1 it feels like I could reach out with my finger and rub the eye of that fly(?). Fantastic work in all. #1 really jumps out at me, and then #2 and 4 as my next favorites. Though all 5 are awesome!

From here it looks like your macro rig did a really good job. Perhaps a silly question, but are you able to handhold this as you shoot?

 

[AlanLichty]

I love seeing the level of detail you get with your macro techniques. My favorite is the second one.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Wow, what detail

 

[gardenersassistant]

Hey Nick! This is amazing what you found here. I am glad to hear you were able to get out, and you sure got rewarded.

I have to say with #1 it feels like I could reach out with my finger and rub the eye of that fly(?). Fantastic work in all. #1 really jumps out at me, and then #2 and 4 as my next favorites. Though all 5 are awesome!

From here it looks like your macro rig did a really good job. Perhaps a silly question, but are you able to handhold this as you shoot?

I love seeing the level of detail you get with your macro techniques. My favorite is the second one.

Wow, what detail

Thanks Jim, Alan, Ben, for your very encouraging comments.

Jim. Yes, all handheld. I almost never use a tripod. In fact as far as I recall the only time I have used one in the past few years was when I was photographing the wasps flying in and out of their nest.

 

[Debbie Stahre]

Great set of insect macros!

 

[gardenersassistant]

Great set of insect macros!

Thanks again Debbie.

 

[JimFox]

Thanks Jim, Alan, Ben, for your very encouraging comments.

Jim. Yes, all handheld. I almost never use a tripod. In fact as far as I recall the only time I have used one in the past few years was when I was photographing the wasps flying in and out of their nest.

I was thinking you would need to handhold, but wasn’t sure. I would think these insects are all over the place and can really make for odd angles that a tripod would just be too cumbersome.

 

[gardenersassistant]

I was thinking you would need to handhold, but wasn’t sure. I would think these insects are all over the place and can really make for odd angles that a tripod would just be too cumbersome.

Yes, that's true, awkward to position, and slow to get everything lined up. But you may only have a few seconds. Also there are brambles and other things winding through the undergrowth so it is easy to move something which transmits movement through to what the subject is on, frightening it off. I tend to get on my knees in an interesting looking area and stay there for a little while, trying to find things that I can photograph without moving much, and being quite careful when I do move around so as to get to a workable position on something I've spotted but can't reach. It varies of course. Sometimes subjects are on plants that are fairly isolated, which makes things much easier.