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I was photographing, when i saw this very interresting looking hairy fly. I had never seen a fly like this, so of course, i wanted a shot. So, i took my shot and got this beautiful and cute result!
I'm not sure what species it is, even though i remember seeing a picture of this species or a similar one, i can't remember the genus where i came from. If you know this genus/species, i would love to know!
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Species: True fly, echte vlieg 🇳🇱, møkkfluer 🇳🇴 (muscidae)
This "movie poster" composition is stuck in my head. I shot this European Wool Carder Bee horizontally but framed it for a vertical composition (I turned the shot 90 degrees in post). Easier than trying to hold the camera in portrait orientation.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (4x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the fill for this shot), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC, second curtain sync). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I'm holding on to the Lavender stem with my left hand, and resting the lens on that same hand to keep the scene steady.
A snoozing European Wool Carder Bee. I like the abstract look of this 5x shot.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (5x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC, second curtain sync. This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held.
A semi active European Wool Carder Bee trying to get its metabolism going. Shot horizontally but framed for a vertical composition (I turned the shot 90 degrees in post). Easier than trying to hold the camera in portrait orientation.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (above 3x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC, second curtain sync). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I'm holding on to the stem of the flower with my left hand, and resting the lens on that same hand to keep the scene steady.
I shot this Thick Legged Flower Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) foraging for pollen. It would hold on to Poppy anthers with its front legs and then use its mouth parts to scrape out pollen.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT, E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC). This is a single frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI and Clarity in that order. Image cropped and up-scaled in post to remove a lot of distracting bits while still preserving the original 24 mega pixels.
A male sweat bee doing a bit of a tightrope act on a thread-thin grass stem. I noticed him near the ground, clambering up and down the stem; given that it was late in the day, I assume he was looking for a perch to roost on during the night.
A male Red Mason Bee resting on a Sourgrass flower.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (around 3x) + a diffused MT-26EX RT (E-TTL metering with -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI, Denoise AI, and Clarity in that order.
The way I took this shot of these mating 22 Spot Ladybugs in a single frame was to focus on the eyes of the female and then twist my wrist to lay the area of acceptable focus over the male. With a scene like that one the eyes of both critters must be in focus, or the composition won't work. Tricky to do since the female would occasionally move and the male will sometimes wiggle his backside. Not gonna lie, I missed focus a few times cause he made me laugh :)
Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 200) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to about 2.5x) + a diffused MT-26EX RT (E-TTL metering with -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI and Clarity in that order.
OM System OM-1 + M.Zuiko 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO + Godox V860iii + Cygnustech flash diffuser - 87 shots focus stacked
This Sweat Bee (L. leucozonium) was camping in my Lavender for a few days.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (over 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT (E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC, second curtain sync). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I'm holding on to the stem of the Lavender with my left hand, and resting the lens on that same hand to keep the scene steady.
Another one of the solitary bees that frequent my Lavender.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 200) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (about 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT (E-TTL metering, -2/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI, Denoise AI, and Clarity in that order.
Not sure exactly what this red Beetle is, but I found a mating pair of them on my mother in laws farm -in December! It was 18C (that is almost 65F for the metric impaired ;) ). Way too warm for this time of year.
Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetle).
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F13, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to about 1.5x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT, E-TTL metering, -2/3 FEC. This is a single, cropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI and Clarity in that order.
Male of Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina.
Technique: It was a cool day (18C) with partly cloudy skies and intermittent light showers -perfect weather to go looking for solitary bees since they'll have a tough time keeping their metabolism up. I got lucky and found this Mason bee semi-dormant in my Lavender.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (around 2x) + a diffused MT-24EX (both flash heads on the Canon flash mount, E-TTL metering). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.
This European Blue Mason Bee emerging from its cocoon is my post for World Bee Day (May 20th 2020). Osmia Caerulescens, male.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (over 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX RT (E-TTL metering with -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Clarity in that order.
This was one of my Blue Mason bees (male) that hatched from my solitary bee house. Looks very similar to the Red Mason bee, except for the eyes (Red Masons have black eyes).
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 200 due to Highlight Tone Priority) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (4x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT, E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC, second curtain sync). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held.
This butterfly was flying from one plant to another, this image captures the moment that it starts to land on the plant, with wings slowing it down.
I found a male Drone Hoverfly (Eristalis tenax) foraging in a Dandelion that allowed me to shade it so I could use the flash to expose the critter and natural light to expose the background. Drone Hoverflies are frequently mistaken for honeybees.
Tech Specs: Canon 90D (F11, 1/125, ISO 200) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to 1x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT, E-TTL metering, -2/3 FEC. This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Clarity and Sharpen AI in that order. Shutter and ISO set to expose the background.
I went out to my sister in law's place in the mountains above Itri, Italy at 5:30AM to photograph the Bumblebees in her Lavender. There were several that were already awake and foraging in the 17C (62F) temperature.
Bombus hortorum
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F14, 1/100, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to about 3x) + a diffused MT26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI and Clarity in that order. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.
I'm pushing myself to document my Blue Mason Bees emerging before their done and I have to wait another year. But finding a composition that works at five times life size is tough, and I'm hitting the limits of what I can do in a single frame with the camera in my hand.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (5x) + a diffused MT-26EX RT (E-TTL metering with -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI, Denoise AI, and Clarity in that order.
Tough to get a low angle on this Ladybug -the models that I work with are not the most cooperative ;) Although the plant that it's on might look like a Venus Fly Trap it's just a flower bud. Under a macro lens a lot of common things look completely alien.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F14, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (over 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI and Clarity in that order.
Tiny Grasshopper Nymph on a Leaf - Panasonic GH4, Lumix G Vario 14-42mm lens, Fotodiox Auto Micro Four Thirds Macro Extension Tube
My wife found this Mantis in our Lavender in the evening, but I waited until early the next day to shoot it hoping that the cooler temps would slow it down. No such luck though. It was active and difficult to photograph. Image taken in Lago Patria, Italy in September of 2021.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F14, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to over 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -1 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI and Clarity in that order.
"Hanging out here and enjoying the beautiful nasturtium flower!" the European crane fly replied to my question about what it was up to.
When there isn't much in the way of wildlife available at the moment, choose another subject that Nature offers !
This fun macro photo of a caterpillar having a bad hair day was captured by photographer Cris Ritchie with the help of a Fotodiox Macro Extension tube for his Canon EF camera. Click here to learn more about our macro photo gear: bit.ly/2IL14Wd
And click here to check out more of Cris's work: www.instagram.com/cris.ritchie.photo/
I found this Leaf Cutter Bee early in the morning, covered in pollen, and the dew had slowed its metabolism down. While photographing it the critter woke up and started "chattering" -rapidly opening and closing its mandibles. It looks intimidating, but it's not trying to bite but simply trying to get its blood pumping. Kinda like when we get cold and shiver.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/125, ISO 200) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to 4x) + a diffused MT-26EX RT (E-TTL metering). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI and Clarity in that order.
It is pretty common for solitary bees, like this Sweat Bee, to feel the heat coming off of my skin and climb onto my hand to get warm. A split second after I took that shot the critter got airborne.
Possibly Halictus sexcinctus.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F14, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to under 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT with a Kaiser adjustable flash shoe on the "A" head (the key), E-TTL metering, -2/3 FEC). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Sharpen AI and Clarity in that order. When photographing subjects with black glossy eyes it is best to under expose the scene by 2/3 to a full stop. Those eyes are like firing a flash into a piece of curved glazed tile, and although the histogram might look good it is easy to overexpose those peepers.