Moth, was too cold outside for much else

[JKVR6M69]

Out of 166 shots this was the only thing from my walk today that I liked. Had a cold snap Friday went from 80 degrees to 50's and there aren't many subjects around to shoot.

This is a 1:1 non cropped taken w/ nikon D5100 and Tokina 100mm AT-X

 

[cgipson1]

nice color and texture.. but really a miss with no head, eyes, antennae, etc... very little is actually sharp except for a small area up in the darker brown part (lower right)

 

[JKVR6M69]

He was pretty balled up, like I said REALLY cold today. I was having a hard time getting anything to work in my favor too, really windy. Got this by holding the plant he was sitting on still and trying to pull it into focus while I used a remote to pull the shot. How can I improve the sharpness? Still pretty new at this, was using aperture priority at about f/9 (I believe)


Insect was about -------- big

 

[cgipson1]

Actually looks like you shot it at F16 at shutter 1/60 at ISO 100, using the pop-up flash? Shooting while holding something is difficult... and the internal flash will give very flat, harsh light. Personally, I would have shot with faster shutter which would have darkened the background but stopped any possible motion. Since you shot at F16, I suspect it is more of a focus issue (camera or subject moving back and forth... as I said, that is difficult.)

This is the Exif from the shot:

[PhotoME]
PhotoME version: 0.79R17 (Build 856)

[Overview]
URL: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-moth-too-cold-outside-much-else-dsc_0156.jpg
File type: JPEG
File size: 857.7 KB
Creation date: 10/7/2012 15:00
Last modification: 10/7/2012 17:46
Make: NIKON CORPORATION (Nikon | Home)
Camera: NIKON D5100
Lens: Tokina AT-X M100 PRO D - 100mm F2.8
Software: Ver.1.00
Dimension: 4928 x 3264 px (16.1 MP, 3:2)
Focal length: 100 mm (equiv. 150 mm)
Aperture: F16
Exposure time: 1/60"
ISO speed rating: 100/21°
Program: Aperture priority
Metering Mode: Center-weighted average
White Balance: Auto
Focus Mode: Manual
Image Stabilizer: Off
Noise Reduction: Off
Flash: Internal flash, Flash fired, compulsory flash mode, return light detected


Was there a reason you had the IS turned off? Were you on a tripod?

 

[JKVR6M69]

Holy cow I've got a lot to learn... I was on a tripod but.... IS?

 

[cgipson1]

Holy cow I've got a lot to learn... I was on a tripod but.... IS?

If you were on a tripod, then IS (Image Stabilization) should have been off... it is usually used only for Ambient Light handheld shots with slow shutter speeds.

There is always something to learn... no matter how long a person has been shooting!

 

[JKVR6M69]

K, cool... looking at the EXIF looks like it was off. But I'm not sure how to turn it on or off haha. I'm going to go read my manual now.



Lighting was pretty abysmal today too, completely overcast. Only lighting I have is the flash and can't afford a fancy macro flash system at the moment.

 

[bunadski]

You can make a DIY flash diffuser. There are a lot of designs to chose from, which are mostly pretty simple to make. Check out orionmystery's blog, I recall him posting his previous setup there. Google can also give ou many ideas. I personally use a styro plate mounted at the end of the lens.

As for focusing, focus on the eyes. It'll take lots of practice though due to the narrow DOF of macro lens and in many cases, subject eyes are tiny and difficult to spot. Hope this helps.

 

[JKVR6M69]

Thanks for the info/tips, it was 44 degrees today, going to be back to mid 60's tomorrow and 80's rest of the week so going to have a lot more to shoot at hopefully. Will hopefully improve the technique some this week too!

 

[JKVR6M69]