this dragonfly kept flying back to the same spot i wondered if i could get a shot of it landing... alas, after about 15 shots i was finally able to get what i wanted! thank goodness for the flash...

Detail of a Zinnia flower.

View Large On Black

Another wildflower that may help you & me be sleepy ! Goodnight !

Weekend blues...Hi everyone...thought of taking a short rest and do some catching up with your postings...Enjoy your weekend everyone. Cheers, Ringgo.

Nikon D700 + Nikon 105mm f/2.8G AF-S VR + Ring flash + Handheld.

red spotted ladybug on a bee balm leaf in a favorite neighborhood garden

Mecaphesa

mason bee on rugosa rose stamen

Rep. Dominicana.

explore #125 Mar 15/09

Nikon D5000

reverse lens

pop up flash

ISO 400

Japanese sweet corn. Gone after this photo was taken.

A simple Hawaian Hibiscus.

ant on blackeyed susan

View Large On Black

Size: 1.5mm body; look like a mosquito from a distance ? until you see the big yellow eyeball.

bugguide.net/node/view/196148

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Ricky Santos, aka. Arbil, who identified this insect !

Germany 2009 . Large size: www.flickr.com/photos/kaeuze/3649873980/sizes/o/

On Explore #163, Sept. 03, 2008

The long weekend is over, have a great week!!

I am away, once again, on business for the week but will try to keep up with your streams.

View On Black

hoverfly on cosmos

Wait. Don't clean that yet. Yup, that's what I said to the misses right after she got through making some homemade blueberry syrup. The spoon covered with syrup just caught my eye and screamed macro. It's a weird subject but it works.

I got so close with this macro that the DOF was about 1/32 of an inch. The eyes of this 1/4 inch insect came out relatively clear, but not much else.

Booo !!!...This metallic blue jumper is one willing subject...Ever curious, it's fun to capture these crawlies...Enjoy your weekend to all my flickr friends...Cheers, Ringgo.

Nikon D90 + Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED Lens + R1C1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System + Handheld

fly on azalea or rhododendron at the john jeffries house garden

The Ant Bully Series

I got interested in taking macros of these ants after I watched the movie called "The Ant Bully", so I am dedicating all the series to all of you "Lucas (Peanuts), The Destroyer" out there. Have mercy!!!

...or annoyed guy. Turned his back to me everytime I tried to took a shot. Perhaps I was disturbing his peace or something..

Then I hold my position, aimed at the right point, stayed statue-like without any movement..

After a while he slowly turned his face at my direction...

Ka-boom ! Ka-Boom ! KA-BOOM ! Gotcha !

*Best viewed LARGE.

Manu, my male cat. I miss you.

The weather disarranged its pattern but more trapped (Nikkor micro mf lens 105mm f/4)

A hummingbird moth keeps a vigilant eye on the camera as it momentarily sucks nectar. These nimble, furry little creatures flit rapidly from flower to flower, so I use the technique of setting up the camera on a tripod, focusing on a flower. . . and waiting. Re-focus was on the eye. Nikon D300; ƒ9; 1/640 sec. Taken 23/07/08; 11:02:23. My garden in Oradour Fanais, France. View On Black View LARGE

More hummingbird moth shots in my: Close-up & Macro (Set)>

morning glory stamen and pollen spheres

small wasp or bee on the stamen of a stargazer lily, in a favorite neighborhood garden

water droplet finger prints on daisy petals

fruit fly on wet morning glory

TGIF !!!...Thanking everyone for viewing and commenting...Happy Friday everyone...Ringgo

Nikon D90 Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED Lens + Ringflash + Handheld

I don't know what it is, but it looks like it has flowerbeds inside the flowers.

Please view large and on black.

Explored.

Red-headed Bush Cricket

Phyllopalpus pulchellus

Master of disguise...Many caterpillars are cryptically coloured and resemble the plants on which they feed and may even have parts that mimic plant parts such as thorns. Their size varies from as little as 1 mm to about 75 millimetres (3.0 in). Some look like objects in the environment such as bird droppings.

from Wikipedia

Nikon D90 + Tamron SP 90mm + Ringflash + Handheld.

Ok... so now I've got some more learning to do.

I'm trying something new & different (again)...

These are some of the first shots I took trying an extension tube in addition to the reverse lens.

Can't seem to get the eye & the proboscis on the same focal plane for a sharp shot on both.

DOF & lighting are still difficult ... focus is unforgiving as the slightest movement by me, the subject, or a slight breeze blowing knocks it out of focus ... but it's a fun challenge :)

Hand-held, manual focus, manual settings .. outside in the rain drizzle most of the time ...

sometimes using SB-600 & sometimes natural light and varying approx 3"-5" from subject

..

macro of an unidentified flying insect on a yellow rose petal

mason bee on spiderwort

Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand

The jumping spider is from the family Salticidae, in the order Araneae, and in the class of Arachnida. The name jumping spider? really refers to most any group of hunting spiders that have the ability to jump or leap anywhere from 10 all the way to 40 times their own body length. Depending the specie, the spider will either jump or walk. There are around 4,000 described species for the jumping spider alone making it the largest of all other spider species.

best viewed LARGE:

www.flickr.com/photos/rundstedt/3548463618/sizes/l/