WASP wet Look

A forum to ask questions, post setups, and generally discuss anything having to do with photomacrography and photomicroscopy.

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Macron
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Location: dallas tx

WASP wet Look

Post by Macron »

wasp was terminated using dish soap and water in a fine mist spray bottle,
it works Fast.
dont let the soap dry out spray him again until terminated.
to clean soap off and dirt use 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
put him in a container add 70% Isopropyl Alcohol and swish him around,
once done take him out to dry up,
lay him on his back and use like aqua net all weather hair spray,
make sure you put him on some thing non stick like slick coated paper,
the hair spray will puddle up so move him around a few time
then flip him up right into posing mode and another shot of hair spray,
this will preserve him and help protect him when taking a wet shot picture.
once about half way dry move any parts like a bent leg that may look out of place.
once fully dry find a plastic leaf and mount him,
i usley super glue only the back 2 legs is all that it needs,
super glue does turn white.
now take pictures, for the wet look i just happen to have a small bottle of fine mist lens cleaner
and sprayed him twice, looks wet and shiny just using water should do the same(fine mist).
the hair spray protects from the water spray

fuji xt-3 camera
vlitrox Lens for Fuji 23/1.4 XF (electrical connection)
Raynox DCR-250 Super Macro Snap-On Lens gives a good working distance from object to lens about 3 inch maybe 6 inches which allows good lighting.
fuji xt-3 in camera focus bracketing (not photo Stacking)
fuji xt-3 camera focus bracketing acts like a focus Rail,
it can put out over 100 pictures in about 10 seconds
No focus rail needed.

for lights i used
Vintage 3 LED Edison Bulbs, 60 Watt Equivalent, ST64 LED Filament Bulbs, CRI 95+, Daylight 5000K, Non-Dimmable,
use high CRI like 95,
The ultra-high CRI allows the product to display its most true and natural colors.
to combind images (Helicon Focus 7)
the WASP image was not post edited.
notice how the wet looks makes the colors pop out vs the dry pic at the bottom
wasp_1.jpg
if you dont want it real wet and shiny let it dry up a little
wasp_2.jpg
pic below Dry Look (non wet)
drywasp2_InPixio.jpg

rjlittlefield
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Re: WASP wet Look

Post by rjlittlefield »

Interesting technique.

This thread is misplaced in the Image Galleries. It will be more appropriate in Technique and Technical Discussions. I will move it.

--Rik

Macron
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2021 7:02 pm
Location: dallas tx

Re: WASP wet Look

Post by Macron »

i posted in (Technical and Studio Photography -- Macro and Close-up)
and when i checked it was there, is that the correct place?

if you want to see larger pic go here
https://3d-model-designer-warehouse.com/wasp1.jpg
https://3d-model-designer-warehouse.com/wasp2.jpg
these images where stacked and non edited in other words pretty much straight out of the camera

rjlittlefield
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Re: WASP wet Look

Post by rjlittlefield »

No, "Technical and Studio Photography -- Macro and Close-up" is not the correct place for this topic. (By the way, "topic" is another word for "thread", in phpBB-speak.)

The topic belongs in "Macro and Micro Technique and Technical Discussions", where it is now.

Let me explain...

If you study the organization of the forum, you will see that the public area is divided into six major categories.

The category labeled "Image Galleries" is intended for posts that highlight the images or the subjects that are shown in them. It is a place where people can enjoy looking at the pictures even if they do not read the words.

In contrast, the category labeled "Technique and Technical Discussions" is intended for posts that emphasize how to do things. These posts often include pictures that illustrate the technical aspects, but the pictures could not stand alone, without the words.

The topic here, titled "WASP wet Look", is all about technique: it talks about how to kill a wasp with soap and water, then coat it with hair spray so that it continues to look wet and shows vibrant colors. The pictures illustrate the technique, but as pictures what they show is obviously a dead wasp, in an unnatural position, glued to a leaf, held by a clamp. They are the sort of pictures that might appear in a manual for technical photography, but I think you will agree they would be unlikely to appear on the wall of any art gallery.

So, the proper place is in "Technique and Technical Discussions", where it is now. When I moved it, I also left behind in the image gallery what is called a "shadow topic" that says "Moved", so that you could still find the topic by starting in the place where you had initially posted it. After you have had a chance to reply to this post, I will delete the "shadow topic" so that the topic will be completely gone from the Image Galleries section, and will appear only in Technique and Technical Discussions.

I see that you are new to the forum, and I realize that these principles behind the forum's organization are not spelled out for newcomers. So, I apologize for any confusion. Things will become more clear after you have been here for a while.

--Rik

Macron
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Location: dallas tx

Re: WASP wet Look

Post by Macron »

ok i think i got it, i do see the main header(Image Galleries)
and i got the wording confused when i read the word Technical i mistake it for the word Technique

MarkSturtevant
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Re: WASP wet Look

Post by MarkSturtevant »

I don't know the details of how they do it, but there are "stackers" that will pose insects in natural scenes and make them look alive by first positioning each of their feet in place with insect pins until they dry out. Considerable patience is involved, I am sure. One who is familiar to me is André De Kesel: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andredeke ... 926072098/ Its hard to believe these are from posed specimens, and many of them are quite small!
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

Macron
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Re: WASP wet Look

Post by Macron »

MarkSturtevant wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 12:53 pm
I don't know the details of how they do it, but there are "stackers" that will pose insects in natural scenes and make them look alive by first positioning each of their feet in place with insect pins until they dry out. Considerable patience is involved, I am sure. One who is familiar to me is André De Kesel: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andredeke ... 926072098/ Its hard to believe these are from posed specimens, and many of them are quite small!
on one of his pic he said> Studio work with a dead specimen, it was rehydrated and staged. Focus stack, 12 images, assembled in Zerene Stacker

rjlittlefield
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Re: WASP wet Look

Post by rjlittlefield »

Macron wrote:
Wed Mar 31, 2021 1:21 pm
on one of his pic he said> Studio work with a dead specimen, it was rehydrated and staged. Focus stack, 12 images, assembled in Zerene Stacker
André is very disciplined about describing the state of his subjects.

A lot of his more recent stacks are live subjects, shot with "fast method" which I assume means using the motor inside the lens, driven by firmware inside the camera.

But he is also very skilled at handling dead specimens in ways that make them look alive. A particularly impressive one that I see today is at https://www.flickr.com/photos/andredekesel/49774836531/ , showing a jumping spider and its prey, a fly, both appearing so natural that I would not guess they are mounted specimens, even when pixel-peeping at the 3K size.

I am not sure exactly what André means when he says "rehydrated". Standard terminology among entomologists is that softening a specimen enough to reposition it is called "relaxing". Among macro photographers, "rehydrating" usually means getting enough water into the tissues to restore their normal appearance, for example to put color back into the eyes of flies.

With hard-shelled subjects such as many beetles, there is little difference in the terms because the external structures do not change appearance when they dry out.

I often prepare beetles using the trick of positioning with insect pins until they dry in place, simply because it is not very difficult and keeps some options open for later. But often this also makes it more difficult to hold the specimens in some particular position for photographing details at high magnification. I confess that sometimes my setups are a little "fiddly", for example as shown HERE .

--Rik

MarkSturtevant
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Re: WASP wet Look

Post by MarkSturtevant »

The "fast method" he uses for field stacks of live subjects involves a rather marvelous contraption that helps him to precisely move a live specimen by hand thru the focal plane while he takes pictures. An earlier version and explanation is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andredeke ... ateposted/ A more recent version is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andredeke ... ateposted/ .
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

rjlittlefield
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Re: WASP wet Look

Post by rjlittlefield »

MarkSturtevant wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:28 am
The "fast method" he uses for field stacks of live subjects involves a rather marvelous contraption that helps him to precisely move a live specimen by hand thru the focal plane while he takes pictures. An earlier version and explanation is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andredeke ... ateposted/ A more recent version is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andredeke ... ateposted/ .
Excellent! This rig had totally escaped my attention!

--Rik

Macron
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2021 7:02 pm
Location: dallas tx

Re: WASP wet Look

Post by Macron »

MarkSturtevant wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:28 am
The "fast method" he uses for field stacks of live subjects involves a rather marvelous contraption that helps him to precisely move a live specimen by hand thru the focal plane while he takes pictures. An earlier version and explanation is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andredeke ... ateposted/ A more recent version is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andredeke ... ateposted/ .
thanks for the link i really like his work.
all so didnt know flickr uploads full resolution and you can view it,
all so upload png and videos, i think videos have a 10 minutes restriction not real sure.
i sign up and payed for the PRO version
https://www.flickr.com/photos/192668396 ... 8518513989

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