I discovered this stink bug (family Pentatomidae) on a common mullein stalk. Every time I got all set up to take the picture, the stink bug would crawl around the stalk just enough to force me to reposition all over again. On and on we played the game. Finally I realized if my shadow hit the bug that would cause him to move. I became much more careful and did manage to get a number of images.
Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100 f2.8 macro with twin flash, tripod, 1/250, f10, ISO 1250
Nice one Nancy. These have great texture on the backs. We call them shield bugs. A smaller aperture might just have got the rear end better but the right bits are in focus.. Good stuff.
JohnR
Nice, Nancy. Good capture of a not so pleasant hombre. But it might have been even more dramatic if you had shot at a low 10:00 or 11:00 position, to capture more of a profile of the beast.
Nicely captured! One suggestion, especially working with the 100 macro. It's often possible to hand-hold the lens, and that's especially useful when the subject, as here, is moving around a lot. The number of keepers may not be quite as high, on the other hand, you don't miss images as you reposition a tripod. With main illumination from the flash, motion blur isn't an issue.
Thanks all! Norm, I do have images like you describe. Once I figured out how to approach I did try a variety of angles. Will post another soon.
Bill, I certainly agree hand holding lets you react much quicker, but wind was blowing and I am not as steady as I used to be!
Hi Nancy. I like the comp and you have excellent sharpness within your DOF. Here's another vote for hand holding when using flash as the main light. If you have the latest Canon 100mm macro, I find that the servo autofocus works quite well and does a good job of compensating for less than rock steady hands.
Nice one Nancy, you did well with the flash, nice even lighting, one of my favorite macro subjects. I appreciate they can be tricky at times but I think the detail and focus is good. The ideal pose will arrive - just patience that's all.
Stink bug
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