ellery

there are a TON of these out in my neck of the woods...you will have tons of opportunity to shoot them again...I am hoping to get a few new shots of them myself this weekend...take care.

Thanks Jerry!  I in fact did not use fill flash...I used a home-made reflector I quickly made from a piece of cardboard and some tin foil - if I had used fill flash, you would see the catch lights dead center of her pupil.

Thanks for your suggestions on editing - take care.

Hey Jerry!  Thanks!!!  I will check on that in post processing...

To be honest, my post processing skills are not impressive really at all....it is something I have not greatly developed that I have been meaning to work on more for sure! 

Any ideas on books or articles much appreciated!  Take Care!

I just re-scubscribed, so look me up and keep in touch!

wings and such are in sharp detail, but in pretty harsh light...but generally the composition and that angle of view is a bit lack luster?  These shots are always nice too if you achieve a softer and less distracting background perhaps to keep attention where you want it?  A few thoughts anyway....hope they help...take care.

what an amazing specimen and great capture....really a great composition IMO....going in my favorites

yes, I too love this....the colors are wonderful....the flecks of light highlighted by others in this makes for making even more interest....I really enjoy this photo!  Take Care!

wonderful....the colors are great...the wings are in sharp focus....lovely bokeh....

My first viewing of this when pulling it up was that I thought it was a bit grainy or something...but when viewing it at full size, that cleared up and the shot is great...not sure why that is though...

I have a 90mm macro...this would work great for the very early morning attempts...but believe me...no amount of patience in the heat of the day will help you much trying this with the 90mm - I tried...thus purchasing the 180mm lol

hey gail...sorry for the severe delay, been off PN for a while....busy busy family life....

I use a D90 and in this case I used a 180mm tamron macro lens...this was one of my first attempts at butterfly macro....

This was almost mid-day light, and these specimens were quite active...use of tripod was futile....even a monopod too limiting.

I am having a hard time remembering if I supplemented with flash...I think I may have...I am SURE I was handholding....ill go back and look at the exif data and see...but I THINK I was using my home made flash bracket setup...just for that bit of fill light I needed here...

I have not yet been able to try it, but the way to get these shots with a tripod is to get on location at like dawn when they are very very calm...I plan on trying this out this season for sure...

I was just paroozing the PN article on this very subject as it relates:

http://photo.net/comments/persistent-add?page_id=870

amazing!  what a capture!!  Love the colors as well!

Thanks Pierre and Patsy!!  It feels good to labor at something and get a satisfactory result :D

yeah, DOF was luckily just right to get those elements sharp...thanks!

My first hummingbird attempts. only lens I could use to suit the job

was my 180mm macro lens (longest one I have...and set up near a

feeder near a window at vacation cabin in Rangely Maine last

week... Getting the focus down right with that slow ass focus motor

was the hard part...figured out a pretty good work around to it

thought and started to get more consistent results due to some fairly

predictable patterns of movement....too much fun shooting these

specimens....any critiques, thoughts, etc would be greatly

appreciated!!

My first hummingbird attempts. only lens I could use to suit the job

was my 180mm macro lens (longest one I have...and set up near a

feeder near a window at vacation cabin in Rangely Maine last

week...used SB900 flash on hot shoe. Getting the focus down right

with that slow ass focus motor was the hard part...figured out a pretty

good work around to it thought and started to get more consistent

results due to some fairly predictable patterns of movement....too

much fun shooting these specimens....any critiques, thoughts, etc

would be greatly appreciated!!

Another of my first attempts at the mantis....any constructive

thoughts greatly appreciated...

if you do not mind me asking, what noise reduction program do you use...I have yet to invest into that aspect of pp...??

thanks Mike!  I am quite fond of this one too...it was a rare instance in my photography were I took the time to really quickly think hard about composition in the moment...this insect was just too much fun..really cooperative on the whole as well...

amazing photo!!  I greatly look forward to one day shooting birds and other wildlife as such...you captured such an great moment here - wonderful colors in these birds...and good light...

wonderful flower..lovely delicate composition and shot...me likes.

SICK!!!!  Amazing detail and timing here!!  As a newb to macro..im so jealous...

You wend beyond 1:1 for this?

Thanks to both of you.

William, I can definately see the draw and benefits of the geared head!  And so far im loving this lens...with this extra working distance, its a whole new world....it is SO much easier for floral photography and some other stuff were the extra working distance made it MUCH easier to tinker with the light...and just easier to set up etc...hand holding can be do-able...but it forces higher ISO for many shots to freeze properly....which seems quite more noticeable for macro shots.

Love it when a plan comes together :D