flies Untitled

This was the only shot he allowed before darting away.

well, the rendering is very proficient, but the subject is too head on for me, it makes it a little static.

Nice one!

Allow me to critique myself here. I agree Ben, the angle and the light, in this case, do not create much drama. Aside from that, I enjoy the colors.

hi jason, thanks for the gracious response, i focused more on the improvement than the high quality than exists in my comment. looking again, if you have more around the outside of this, consider turning it about 20 degrees to the left. the tilt could add a little dynamism, as the lines in the leaf and the tilt of the subject might help some.

 

question for you: what do you do to get such extraordinary clarity? i have tried some macro work with flowers (in my nature folder) and find that very difficult.

Hello Ben. Clarity comes from, as you would guess, the ability to keep the shot steady using a high shutter speed (with flash if necessary) or perhaps a tripod (I don't use these) or maybe just a bit of luck. I find that with macro shots direct sunlight is often the best answer because it allows higher shutter speeds. Still, with a diffused flash (I sometimes attach a piece of a milk jug or an index card to the front of the lens; this photo is an example of that) you can often create a nice substitute for sunlight. The high magnification in this particular shot comes from a powerful telephoto setting combined with a +10 diopter closeup lens. DSLRs have their own variety of solutions, such as a reversed lens direct to the camera body, or a specialized lens such as the Canon MP-E. Hope this answer isn't too long! I'm still learning, myself.

 

Here's a very informative thread for DSLR users:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/227149

 

For now, I'm stuck in the non-DSLR world :)

ah! nothing's too long for me. that's very interesting information and very helpful for me, thanks. please let me know if i can return the favor.

 

as for dslr, i think you have more focal range options, but not necessarily better optics (as indicated by this shot). if it interests you, you can pick up a used 10d for maybe 600 dollars now. an excellent 50/1.8 prime is about another 80. that gets you "in the game."

I probably should get in the game :) But for now I rely too much on the twisty LCD, and I'm trying to keep the equipment level low for my wife's sanity! Haha. I'm also trying to figure out which platform can give me the best DOF :/ A tougher question to answer than you might think.