Emergence of a southern hawker dragonfly

[Jonathan Ashton]

Canon 1Dx Canon 100-400 L IS &1.4 TC ISO 400 1/250 sec f11 flash at -1.6EV
After not finding any dragonflies, I missed six then another six emerged followed by another eight. This one I though proved ok to follow through the sequence, I haven't tidied up the background quite deliberately because I wanted to gauge your opinion in case I considered using the image or similar images in further use.
All C&C welcome.

[Adhika Lie]

This is a magnificent series, Jon. I love every bit of your idea and creativity here. I want slightly more room on the last fully spread out wing shot but this series is like a scientific journal, very well done! Thanks for sharing this, Jon.

[John Robinson]

Good sequence of an event in nature Jon,which is fairly predictable and often done. I do feel that the non sync of frames is a shame though which spoils the chance of a sequence which could be used in a presentation for example.
Fade ins for example cry out for stuff like this.
JohnR

[Jonathan Ashton]

Good sequence of an event in nature Jon,which is fairly predictable and often done. I do feel that the non sync of frames is a shame though which spoils the chance of a sequence which could be used in a presentation for example.
Fade ins for example cry out for stuff like this.
JohnR
It wasn't practicable to maintain the identical viewpoint all the time John for two reasons firstly it was intermittently breezy and secondly - not terribly obvious but just a few millimeters movement meant foliage of a different background appeared so I standardized as much as I could - I was aware of this issue.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hey Jon, love the sequence of events, a very informative posting, as you clearly can see the various 'Key stages' of development, albeit I'm glad to see you posted things in Story Sequences too, as I feel it is more suited there, personally.

The skill in achieving this sadly cannot be conveyed apart from the final delivery - the capture, but not an easy thing to pull off in the outside world, a testimony to your skill set here Jon and patience. 'Standardising' as you put it, I think has also provide a better platform, as the viewer/reader can see the chain of events in each frame of development. Interesting you are using the 100-400, not a Macro, any particular reason, are you using a Remote release too? Using some Fill-in flash has also helped, is this Off camera?

I like the creative thinking here Jon in your presentation.


Fade ins for example cry out for stuff like this.

JR that went out in the mid to late 80's, there is far more you can do these days with the new, current Software available and very easy to do too, that will make more of the captured sequences (if required) and excite/salivate the viewer.

TFS
Steve

PS Sorry I could not be helpful in your quandary :S3:, my only advice is - never regret the decision, if you do, you have made the wrong one!!!!

[John Robinson]

Fade ins have not died out in my lecture circuit and I don't see how two or howeve rmany shots can be accurately used if they are not lined up as with in a stacking sequence They might "fade Iin" but not properly if not synced, and I don't know of any software that can do it and I,ve been through a few. I am talking about fades here- not just a lap dissolve.
JR

[Steve Kaluski]

John, I am not going to debate this, the fact is 'Fade' is old technology and has had it's day. The current software packages allows the author (Ammeter or Pro) to be far more 'creative' in delivering a presentation to the audience in the world of DPI. I appreciate you like the 'old days', but allow some of us to move with the times and explore the opportunities provided by technology progress.

Please feel free to expand if you wish, but keep it to a PM.

[John Robinson]

I am not the one debating it Steve. You don't seem to understand what I mean by a"synced fade"
JR

[Steve Kaluski]

If you are referring to an image that has a gradual/timed/phased transition - fading from one to another, then I do John. If not, please explain what is a 'synced fade' is, always eager to learn. What is the Software you use?

BTW, As presentations are run from a DVD via a laptop, I would relish a current or forthcoming copy of one of your DVD/CD-ROM 'slide shows' John, as I would then have a better grasp of how 'Synced fade' really outweighs the new heights, Digital software has taken us all. As it won't be that big, please email me a copy, or you can zip it, (to compress everything) and then fwd.

Look forward to seeing it, thanks.

[MiroslavMaric]

Great sequence :S3:. Like the details and light. Well done!

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, glad you liked it. The technique used is shown in the story sequence Forum, I used a bean bag. I used the zoom and 1.4TC to give me the reach I needed, the images shown are vertical crops otherwise full frame.
For this sequence I used a ringflash set at -1.66 EV. I had to hold the flash adjacent to the lens hood because the step up/down rings supplied are not large enough for the diameter of the zoom lens. I often use flash on the camera (yes I know a lot will cringe at the thought) but when the gun has an "omnibounce" diffuser on it a very even light is given. The reason for not using ordinary flash was that there was foliage in the way and I could point the ring flash more directly to where I wanted it...... and the other flash gun was in the house!
Hopefully more opportunities will arise.

[John Robinson]

I don't use DVD,s All my lectures are stored on 2 laptop computers. Projected through a HD projector
I use Pictures to Exe Version 8 . and one or two others occasionally.
A synced fade is quite simple- you take the pictures from the same spot exactly with the subject in slightly different phases of emergence or whatever. As I mention later- such as a Summer/Winter shot. he BBC do it all the time.
Seems easy enough to understand to me- we were doing it years ago. If you take two shots from a different position then there is no software in the world can line them up. So "advances as you call them" cannot line up unsynced pictures I really do not understand what all the fuss is about.
I don't send copies of my lectures to anyone. You are welcome to attend one.
I don't wish to enter ino a drawn ouy debate on something which started on a simple comment, and I shoul;d not have used the term "fade ins". They are easy
JR

[Steve Kaluski]

don't send copies of my lectures to anyone. You are welcome to attend one.

Easy to write it John to a DVD and the content would be very safe, but there we go. Sadly, I doubt your timing will fit within the free time I have whilst in the UK, so many places to visit and not not enough time, as you know, to do it all in. It's a wondrous world we live in.


I shoul;d not have used the term "fade ins".

Yes, this is where technology can get confusing when using phases that could mean something else.


Jon A, thanks for the in-depth explanation on the set-up, a good read and I'm sure those who are entering into the Macro world will find it illuminating too.

[John Robinson]

[QUOTE=Steve Kaluski;1128455]Easy to write it John to a DVD and the content would be very safe, but there we go. Sadly, I doubt your timing will fit within the free time I have whilst in the UK, so many places to visit and not not enough time, as you know, to do it all in. It's a wondrous world we live in.

Yes I can do know how to write to DVD,s but as I did say- I don't send copies of my lectures to anyone.
JR

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Jon,

I just want to congratulate you again for this awesome sequence - superb work my friend!

Warmest regards,

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thank you Gabriela, I will keep looking for new opportunities.

[Ron Conlon]

I would have liked less white space around the panels. It would be very hard to get the exact same framing for each panel, but I don't think it is much harmed by it.