Yet more flash tests

[gardenersassistant]

These were captured a couple of days ago in a pair of sessions using different flash setups. Both setups used a Sony A7sii with a Laowa 100mm 2X macro lens and two 2X teleconverters.

There are 1300 pixel high versions of these images in this album at Flickr.

#1 I'm quite getting to like ants as subjects.


1965 07 2021_08_10 2xSPpSS DSC06236_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAI DNAIc by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

#2 The timing on this one was pure luck.

1965 29 2021_08_10 12inBowlFPS DSC06451_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAI DNAIc by gardenersassistant, on Flickr


#3 This was hanging by a thread and twirling around in the breeze.

1965 08 2021_08_10 2xSPpSS DSC06240_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAI DNAIc by gardenersassistant, on Flickr


#4 I think the big one is an earwig and the small white one a mite.

1965 18 2021_08_10 12inBowlFPS DSC06330_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAI DNAIc by gardenersassistant, on Flickr


#5 As I find is often the case with flies that are blowing bubbles, this one sat around and gave me plenty of time to try different angles, framings etc.

1965 35 2021_08_10 12inBowlFPS DSC06532_PLab4 LR 1300h DNAI DNAIc by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

 

[AlanLichty]

I can't really discern any artifacts or reflections from your flash setup. Amazing macro results from this technique.

 

[gardenersassistant]

I can't really discern any artifacts or reflections from your flash setup.

That's because I cheat! It's the post processing what does it. (Which incidentally is why I refer to my stuff as images, not photographs. I think it would be misleading to call them photographs, because people might think they ought to be able to get results like this straight out of the camera. Maybe some people can, but I can't!

I have terrible trouble with insects that have reflective surfaces. Apart from #4, these were not too bad from this point of view, but here is a before/after view of one of the other images from the linked album.


1967 Illustration 10 by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

Amazing macro results from this technique.

Thanks Alan.

 

[AlanLichty]

It's only cheating when we know what you did

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Very nice results. Good technique and post processing.

Only journalistic photographs need to be accurate. Everything else is subjective to artistic license. Anyway that is how I see it.

 

[gardenersassistant]

Very nice results. Good technique and post processing.

Thanks Jameel.

Only journalistic photographs need to be accurate. Everything else is subjective to artistic license. Anyway that is how I see it.

That's the line I take. My aim is to try to create (what I think of as) "pretty pictures". Veracity, "present an accurate record", "portray it as it looked" etc has never been my thing. I do like my images to be more or less credible, at least to my eyes., but of course that too is a personal judgement.

 

[JimFox]

Wow, awesome work Nick! Love these, and I learned today that flies can blow bubbles... I had no idea on that one.

#2 and 4 are my favorites. I sure like your luck on #2.

And good job with removing the reflections of light. I can imagine that is a real pain at times.

 

[gardenersassistant]

Wow, awesome work Nick! Love these,

Thanks Jim.

and I learned today that flies can blow bubbles... I had no idea on that one.

When they are blowing bubbles they are less inclined to fly off and so you can often get quite a long time to try different angles etc.

No one seems to know why they do it. (There are lots of theories of course.)

#2 and 4 are my favorites. I sure like your luck on #2.

Me too! It doesn't work out so well very often, not for me anyway.

And good job with removing the reflections of light. I can imagine that is a real pain at times.

Yes, it certainly is a pain. I'm turning more and more to post processing to help with that.