Bugs of Bygone:

Photographed this past weekend at my favorite retention pond. When I first started macro photography I ran into these true bug nymphs. At the time I didn't realize what a special treat it was to photograph them. I had many "keeper images" from that encounter. I didn't take long to start noticing flaws in my images and I looked forward to photographing the bugs again. I didn't see them again for several years. Late last year I finally ran across one but it was a single specimen and I wasn't able to display the herd characteristics I observed years ago. Luckily I stumbled across this bunch. For the most part they stayed in a tight grouping on the leaf as pictured. Not following each other up and down plant stems and leaves like I had seen before but it's a start. Now that I'm getting better at spotting them in the field, hopefully I be able to photo document the whimsical herding I witnessed before but so poorly captured. Time and the nymphs will tell.

Image Specs - Olympus OMD-EM1, 60mm Zuiko w/32mm tubes @ 2:1, f/8, SS 1/100, ISO 200, Mcoplus mc0320 Flash w/ DIY Concave Diffuser

#macroaddict (+MacroAddict)  +Stephen Thackeray

#hqspmacro +HQSP Macro curated by +Stefanie Schächtel +Peter Marbaise +Evi Verstraeten +Robert Kubacki +Andi Fritzsch and +Leanne Cole 

#BTPMacroPro – +BTP Macro Pro . owned by +Nancy Dempsey ,curated by +Kenny Jones

Longhorn Beetle

Photographed this past Saturday in a retention pond near the Bayou. I've never seen this type of beetle before. Lovely grey and fuzzy, longhorn beetle of some sorts. Does anyone have an id for this critter? Google image search has some that are close but no cigar.

Image Specs - Olympus OMD-EM1, 60mm Zuiko Macro, f/2.8, SS 1/60, ISO 200, available light 60 image field stack.

#macroaddict (+MacroAddict)  +Stephen Thackeray

#hqspmacro +HQSP Macro curated by +Stefanie Schächtel +Peter Marbaise +Evi Verstraeten +Robert Kubacki +Andi Fritzsch and +Leanne Cole 

#BTPMacroPro – +BTP Macro Pro . owned by +Nancy Dempsey ,curated by +Kenny Jones

Carpenter Ant

I often see these during the day dutifully attending to the herds of aphids they keep. Move the camera too quickly towards the host plant and it's a mad aphid scramble to herd the honeydew laden dogies to safety. All this tending must plum wear the carpenter ants out as they can frequently be found taking a snooze as the aphids graze. If one carefully moves the camera into position, without alarming the ant, field stacking is possible as long as the wind cooperates. That was the case with this ant. It lay motionless for 15 minutes or so, plenty of time to fire off a few stack attempts. I tried to do a stack with an ant and an aphid herd but one or two of the aphids always seemed to be moving. In the future I'll try the exercise again but much earlier in the morning.

Image Specs: Tripod Rig, Olympus EM1, Zuiko 60mm Macro w/tubes @ ~2:1, f/2.8, 1/13, ISO 200, available light, 80 frame stack processed in Zerene.

#macroaddict (+MacroAddict)  +Stephen Thackeray

#hqspmacro +HQSP Macro curated by +Stefanie Schächtel +Peter Marbaise +Evi Verstraeten +Robert Kubacki +Andi Fritzsch and +Leanne Cole 

#BTPMacroPro – +BTP Macro Pro . owned by +Nancy Dempsey ,curated by +Kenny Jones

Another Damsel

Photographed this damsel in the same retention pond as the one I shared yesterday but on a different day. It was partly cloudy and the damsel was in a partially shaded ares. This gave the scene a nice rich colors. Normally I would expose the EM1 1 or 1.3 stops to the right but the color saturation was so nice I shot this .7 over exposed. Overall the _ think the image came out of the camera well saturated and I am pleased with the rendition. It appears some aphids showed up for the shoot as well. Now if only the ladybird made an appearance…

Image Specs: Tripod Rig, Olympus EM1, Zuiko 60mm Macro, f/3.2, 1/80, ISO 200, available light, 18 frame stack processed in Zerene.


#macroaddict (+MacroAddict)  +Stephen Thackeray

#hqspmacro +HQSP Macro curated by +Stefanie Schächtel +Peter Marbaise +Evi Verstraeten +Robert Kubacki +Andi Fritzsch and +Leanne Cole 

#BTPMacroPro – +BTP Macro Pro . owned by +Nancy Dempsey ,curated by +Kenny Jones

First Damsel of the Year -

Ran across this Damsel in a retention pond near the bayou. It was early morning and the critter hadn't rousted from its evening roost. This is always a good time to take out the tripod a try a field stack. I'm making a point to carry the Olympus EM1 in my backpack. Despite the limitations of the sensor it has become my preferred camera for field stacking. This damsel paid no mind to the small camera in close proximity. It's been a while since I've seen one. It was good to get reacquainted in 2017 my friend.

Image Specs: Tripod Rig, Olympus EM1, Zuiko 60mm Macro, f/3.5, 1/60, ISO 200, available light, 46 frame stack processed in Zerene.

#macroaddict (+MacroAddict) curated by  +William Banik,  &  +Stephen Thackeray

#hqspmacro +HQSP Macro curated by +Stefanie Schächtel +Peter Marbaise +Evi Verstraeten +Robert Kubacki +Andi Fritzsch and +Leanne Cole 

#BTPMacroPro – +BTP Macro Pro . owned by +Nancy Dempsey ,curated by +Kenny Jones


I Spy with my Field Binoculars a Hopper:

Last year I went on a BioBlitz and all the cool kids had field binoculars for spotting and observing insects. It never occurred to me to use binoculars to spot and observe insects. I was fortunate to befriend a gentleman who had a very nice pair of Zeiss binoculars. He let me try them out and I immediately saw the benefit of using binoculars for spotting insects. When I got home I started to do some research and realized I wanted a pair with close focus and decent magnification. I decided on a pair of Pentax Papilio 6.5x21 binoculars. Boy am I glad I did. These are affordable, close focusing (.5meter), bright and crystal clear. I can literally see scales on butterfly wings that are close by. They are very lightweight and have a small footprint, easily fitting in my vest pocket. Benefit for the macro photographer is to see subjects we normally wouldn't see, deep in the grass or a bit too small and a bit too far away for our eyes to pick up. Once the subject is spotted the macro photographer can survey the area around the subject and plan out the best framing angles and plan out one's approach to the subject. The binoculars have already helped me see several subjects I would have missed otherwise. This hopper is a good example. It was deep in the weeds. I seriously doubt I would have seen it with my naked eye as it was 2 meters away from my observation spot. For the price I can highly recommend these binoculars for those who like to sit and observe the surroundings and better plan out their macro approach/shots. Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-Papilio-II-6-5x21-Binoculars/dp/B00SKO4A8Q

Image Specs: Tripod Rig, Olympus EM1, Zuiko 60mm Macro w/32mm tubes, f/3.5, 1/30, ISO 200, available light, 54 frame stack processed in Zerene.

#macroaddict (+MacroAddict) curated by  +William Banik,  &  +Stephen Thackeray

#hqspmacro +HQSP Macro curated by +Stefanie Schächtel +Peter Marbaise +Evi Verstraeten +Robert Kubacki +Andi Fritzsch and +Leanne Cole 

#BTPMacroPro – +BTP Macro Pro . owned by +Nancy Dempsey ,curated by +Kenny Jones

Lady in the Thistle

I photograph a lot of ladybirds. First, they are abundant in the fields I frequent and I often find them in interesting settings. Such was the case with this subject. I was drawn to the unusual spot on the side of the shell. I have no idea what caused the defect but I found it unique and interesting. As I framed the shot in the viewfinder I realized the fantastic environment the thistle provided. This hadn't occurred to me when I viewed the scene with my naked eye. It is a reminder to me, that what I see with my eyes often has a different perspective at the macro level. That I need not dismiss what might appear mundane to my eyes, rather use my macro lens to observe and explore. More often than not, I find scenes that are interesting and beautiful and had I not taken the time for a closer look-see I would have never had the privilege to witness it. Isn't macro grand?

Image specs: Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65mm @ ~ 3:1 f/13, 1/200, ISO 100 - MT-24 EX Flash with DIY Diffusers.

#macroaddict (+MacroAddict) curated by  +William Banik,  &  +Stephen Thackeray

#hqspmacro +HQSP Macro curated by +Stefanie Schächtel +Peter Marbaise +Evi Verstraeten +Robert Kubacki +Andi Fritzsch and +Leanne Cole 

#BTPMacroPro – +BTP Macro Pro . owned by +Nancy Dempsey ,curated by +Kenny Jones


Bush Cricket Nymph

I have been trying to photograph these buggers for several years. From an approach perspective they are fairly easy to photograph as long as one is slow and deliberate. When the katydid senses a threat it will often freeze in whatever pose it happened to be in at the time of the perceived threat. For the macro photographer this is the time to take the shot. Always keep an eye on the hind legs. If they start to twitch or slowly move forward the critter is becoming increasingly alarmed and is at risk to hop away. When the insect draws its hind legs completely forward, an escape jump is imminent. This Bush Cricket was certainly aware of my presence as it held this pose for several minutes, playing possum if you will. Plenty of time to run a few automated stacks with the Oly EM-1. This was the best of the lot and probably my best photograph of a Bush Cricket to date.

Image Specs: Tripod Rig, Olympus EM1, Zuiko 60mm Macro, f/3.2, 1/60, ISO 200, available light, 90 frame stack processed in Zerene.

#macroaddict (+MacroAddict) curated by  +William Banik,  &  +Stephen Thackeray

#hqspmacro +HQSP Macro curated by +Stefanie Schächtel +Peter Marbaise +Evi Verstraeten +Robert Kubacki +Andi Fritzsch and +Leanne Cole 

#BTPMacroPro – +BTP Macro Pro . owned by +Nancy Dempsey ,curated by +Kenny Jones

Wrong Way Slider -

Heading home from shooting, I decided to walk the bike trail. I'm always scouring the ground for something interesting. Bikers leave a lot of loot on the trail - LED lights, reflectors, pumps, pocketknives/tools, money etc. This day I noticed a small slider shell. It was much dirtier than I'm used to seeing. It's legs and head hung limp towards the ground. I thought for sure it was dead. I picked it up hoping to figure out the cause of its demise when to my surprise in retracted into its shell. It was a long ways from the bayou and heading in the wrong direction. I decided to give it an Uber back to the bayou banks. Price for safe passage from bike trail to Bayou banks? Macro of its eye. I sat on the banks holding it, patiently waiting for it to poke it's head out. After 30 minutes or so it became comfortable enough to poke it's head out and see what was going on so I photographed it. Approximate magnification 3:1 ratio on 36mm x 24mm sensor so this capture is ~12mm x ~8mm of the turtles head.
After I took a few shots I left him on the bank a few feet from the water pointing in the right direction.

Image specs: Canon 5D-III, MP-E 65mm @ ~ 3:1 f/11, 1/100, ISO 100 - MT-24 EX Flash with DIY Diffusers.

#macroaddict (+MacroAddict) curated by  +William Banik,  &  +Stephen Thackeray

#hqspmacro +HQSP Macro curated by +Stefanie Schächtel +Peter Marbaise +Evi Verstraeten +Robert Kubacki +Andi Fritzsch and +Leanne Cole 

#BTPMacroPro – +BTP Macro Pro . owned by +Nancy Dempsey ,curated by +Kenny Jones