Found amongst the Goldenrod

Images of undisturbed subjects in their natural environment. All subject types.

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Thagomizer
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Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:24 pm
Location: London Ontario

Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by Thagomizer »

I've learned that goldenrod is a great plant to find a wide range of insect species. These were taken handheld with a Tamron 52BB 90mm f2.5 macro lens with Raynox 250 on Pentax KP. Built in flash with homemade extender/diffuser.
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MarkSturtevant
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Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by MarkSturtevant »

Excellent. The locust borer beetle is thought to be a mimic of yellowjackets. The wasp might be that sort of insect (not sure), but I'm suspecting its a European paper wasp. These are invasive in north America.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

sleekdigital
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2020 5:59 am

Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by sleekdigital »

Nice! I agree. I just found one of those locust borers too!

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=42416&sid=7bf9b4e4 ... f86a9066eb

Guido
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Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by Guido »

Fine shots!

Another pentax shooter 🤗

Ken Ramos
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Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by Ken Ramos »

Wonderful details and nice compositions, especially on the first one. What appears to be a yellow jacket wasp I believe :-k

Thagomizer
Posts: 71
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:24 pm
Location: London Ontario

Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by Thagomizer »

Guido wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:12 am
Fine shots!

Another pentax shooter 🤗
Thanks!

We're kinda thin on the ground, but Pentax works for me and what I do.

Thagomizer
Posts: 71
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:24 pm
Location: London Ontario

Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by Thagomizer »

Ken Ramos wrote:
Thu Sep 17, 2020 4:09 pm
Wonderful details and nice compositions, especially on the first one. What appears to be a yellow jacket wasp I believe :-k
Thank you! I quite like the first one too. I'm always glad when I've got the time to actually "compose" something. I'm usually trying to think of composition, but sometimes it can take a back seat, or end up being a happy accident. With some subjects, just getting focused is hard enough; if the shot is harmonious and interesting too, that's a nice bonus.

mlackey
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Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2012 4:48 pm

Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by mlackey »

Late to the party, but.... would you be willing to share some detail on your diffusion?
Best regards,
Mike

Cyclops
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Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by Cyclops »

Great shots!
Canon 5D and 30D | Canon IXUS 265HS | Cosina 100mm f3.5 macro | EF 75-300 f4.5-5.6 USM III | EF 50 f1.8 II | Slik 88 tripod | Apex Practicioner monocular microscope

Thagomizer
Posts: 71
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:24 pm
Location: London Ontario

Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by Thagomizer »

mlackey wrote:
Sat Oct 10, 2020 3:46 pm
Late to the party, but.... would you be willing to share some detail on your diffusion?
Yes indeed: thank's for asking! Sorry I'm late responding.

The introduction of flash diffusion to my macro shooting was the biggest single source of improvement in my results. Currently I'm using my Pentax KP's built in flash with a DIY modifier. My extender/diffuser is made from a potao chip tin (the extender bit, which brings the light out to the end of the lens), with a paper towel stuck on the end with an elastic band for diffusion. It looks a lot like the one pictured here:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/125 ... ost3162888

(The only decent photos I've got of my own set-up are on a computer at work: I'm at home.)

The tube is in two sections, allowing it to telescope in order to accomodate a range of different focal lengths, lens stack combinations, etc. The front section is cut open lengthwise along one side (I chose the bottom), and a narrow spacer is inserted along the length of this cut to increase the tube's diameter enough to permit it to slide over the part that fits over the flash (which has an opening cut out of into which the popped-up flash fits). The angle cut of the front end helps to direct light downwards onto the subject. Another elastic band keeps the unit snug against the lens so it doesn't fall off. High-tech stuff!
I've tended to favour "plain" chips, as they are less likely to leave behind any oily, flavoured residue. I've also tended to use generic rather than "pringles" potato chips as they're cheaper. The tins are lined on the inside with a silvery covering which helps to get the light out front where it needs to be.

I usually use the flash on manual rather than PTTL, dialing the power up and down as needed.

I'm working towards putting together my own version of a horizontal flash set-up like this: http://extreme-macro.co.uk/horizontal-flash/

Getting an auxilliary flash closer to the subject, will let me use a more powerful flash at a lower power setting, resulting in a shorter flash duration. This will mean frozen motion. While heavier than the chip tin rig, it isn't going to take up much more space. As an added bonus, it reduced drain on the camera battery. The flashes I have at the moment with manual power settings are relatively large. Ultimately I hope to use something a little more compact like a Viltrox JY-610, or a Godox TT350. From what I've read, I'm probably going to go with the Godox, as it looks like it's more capable and better built.

Thagomizer
Posts: 71
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:24 pm
Location: London Ontario

Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by Thagomizer »

Cyclops wrote:
Sat Oct 10, 2020 4:31 pm
Great shots!
Thank you!

Thagomizer
Posts: 71
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:24 pm
Location: London Ontario

Re: Found amongst the Goldenrod

Post by Thagomizer »

My wasp image from this post has made it to the final round of voting for the October monthly contest at Pentax Forums:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/articles/p ... unced.html

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