Schwetty and I went Insect Hunting

[tevo]

Sheesh charlie, you're making us look bad - great shots! What glass?

 

[cgipson1]

Tokina 100mm Macro... I do like the lens! Thanks, tevo!

 

[Mike K]

Tokina 100mm Macro... I do like the lens! Thanks, tevo!

Nice shots! Did you crop any of them? How close were you?

 

[sm4him]

Yes, I like the second set MUCH better! Not that I *didn't* like the first set...

That last one, though...that's a little TOO close.

I usually concentrate on the wings.. as I love the patterns and colors. The second set is more like butterfly portraiture.. love the eyes also. I like "close"! lol!! You probably wouldn't be a fan of my spider closeups....

Ha! Actually, the ironic truth is that I take those sorts of pictures myself (although not that quality, as I just have a kit lens at present). Not only do I shoot close-ups of insects, I'm the merit badge counselor for nature stuff for our scout troop, so I help boy scouts collect and identify all sorts of little critters. Don't mind touching them, photographing them...but even my own close-ups of them can still creep me out just a little...I'd never let the boys know that, though, lol!

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Please tell Schwetty hello for me next time you see him

 

[cgipson1]

Tokina 100mm Macro... I do like the lens! Thanks, tevo!

Nice shots! Did you crop any of them? How close were you?

Thanks Mike! Distances ranged from 2" to 2' (when the little guys would not cooperate!). Some of them did get a crop (the longer distances)..

 

[cgipson1]

Yes, I like the second set MUCH better! Not that I *didn't* like the first set...

That last one, though...that's a little TOO close.

I usually concentrate on the wings.. as I love the patterns and colors. The second set is more like butterfly portraiture.. love the eyes also. I like "close"! lol!! You probably wouldn't be a fan of my spider closeups....

Ha! Actually, the ironic truth is that I take those sorts of pictures myself (although not that quality, as I just have a kit lens at present). Not only do I shoot close-ups of insects, I'm the merit badge counselor for nature stuff for our scout troop, so I help boy scouts collect and identify all sorts of little critters. Don't mind touching them, photographing them...but even my own close-ups of them can still creep me out just a little...I'd never let the boys know that, though, lol!

Cool! Working the the scouts is an excellent thing to do! Sounds like fun! I love really detailed macro shots... the detail and diversity in nature is one of the most beautiful things I know of, and this is an aspect of it that many people never get to see except through photos. Macro has taught me to appreciate beauty in a whole new way.

 

[cgipson1]

Please tell Schwetty hello for me next time you see him

Will do! He did say he will come back eventually... he just got tired of some the drama queens and kings!

 

[fjrabon]

Second set, #3 is the way to go for posing. Except the foreground of the leaf is really grainy for some reason - did you boost sharpness to get the butterfly clearer?

I did sharpen a touch.. and noticed on that shot, event the tiniest bit of sharpening seem to turn the leaf pores black. I did a very minimal sharpening to minimize the effect... but less than I normally do.

I will have to talk to my models the next time I am shooting butterflies! Make sure they know they should always give me 3/4 frontal shots.. lol!

why not brush out the sharpening on the leaf? Genuine question as I'm curious. Would it blend poorly that way?

 

[shootermcgavin]

Yeah I like #3 in the second set much more. #1 is basically how all mine look, it's definitely not ugly but it just is nothing new to open my eyes. #3 makes me look at it different for me that's a great shot.

 

[Heitz]

Schwetty and I have been discussing getting together to do some shooting. So Robin and I, and my girlfriend all went to the local Butterfly Pavillion... Here are some of mine, I don't know if he will post any here or not.

1.

2.

3.

4.

I love nature. Note how the largest spot on #4 is such a perfect rendition of a predator's eye. In fact, if you stare at #4 for a bit, you can convince yourself the entire wing looks like a lizard, with nostrils to the right. Amazing!.

 

[cgipson1]

Second set, #3 is the way to go for posing. Except the foreground of the leaf is really grainy for some reason - did you boost sharpness to get the butterfly clearer?

I did sharpen a touch.. and noticed on that shot, event the tiniest bit of sharpening seem to turn the leaf pores black. I did a very minimal sharpening to minimize the effect... but less than I normally do.

I will have to talk to my models the next time I am shooting butterflies! Make sure they know they should always give me 3/4 frontal shots.. lol!

why not brush out the sharpening on the leaf? Genuine question as I'm curious. Would it blend poorly that way?

Just didn't bother to do it.. wouldn't be that hard... admittedly.

 

[cgipson1]

Schwetty and I have been discussing getting together to do some shooting. So Robin and I, and my girlfriend all went to the local Butterfly Pavillion... Here are some of mine, I don't know if he will post any here or not.

1.

2.

3.

4.

I love nature. Note how the largest spot on #4 is such a perfect rendition of a predator's eye. In fact, if you stare at #4 for a bit, you can convince yourself the entire wing looks like a lizard, with nostrils to the right. Amazing!.

#4 is my favorite.. I just love the shading and coloration.

 

[cgipson1]

Yeah I like #3 in the second set much more. #1 is basically how all mine look, it's definitely not ugly but it just is nothing new to open my eyes. #3 makes me look at it different for me that's a great shot.

Glad you like it, Shooter! I try to get a variety of shots... sometimes the critters don't always cooperate!

 

[fjrabon]

why not brush out the sharpening on the leaf? Genuine question as I'm curious. Would it blend poorly that way?

Just didn't bother to do it.. wouldn't be that hard... admittedly.

Oh ok, just wondering. kudos on the awesome shots, by the way. I'm generally not interested in insect shots, but these have me thinking about where I could find some good insect hunts this week/weekend.