liewwk Nature Photography Blog
Bee one of my favor object for MACRO photography .. as bee seldom stop for rest to it is a big challenge to capture it
1. very 1st bee found on my MACRO training ground
2. common honey bee that just need little patient
3. 1st time saw it
4. another Bee in flight
5. a green bee from US
6. one of the cutest bee ever met … I call it “fat” bee
7. call it green eye bee just same like #1
more bee collection click here
I share a Splash worth to share yesterday, where I do not able to stand firm on ground …
but today let share how I shoto at a place I stand real firm … or not easy to move 😀
think the picture I capture at this angle had been remove and I have one recent post one which need ~10 steps forward 😀
* think you can see it in the picture above
it is too much fun to look for better angle in Landscape Photography … it just make me keep moving .. so if you like Landscape let move and let’s try some new place and angle ………..
a simple shot that may not come out easy…. just share one of my tough shot recently done at Kemasik Beach, Kemaman, Terengganu…
I was standing near the big rock waiting for the big splash …. my len filters keep splash by wave, need non stop drying , and myself wet too after few splashes that I feel not stong enough and finally I got the splash what I looking for … then I got wet and have to run away from it …. have ~30-50 shutter press for this
and this is a simple and happy shot with a lot of effort (for me ….)
a shot from previous East Coast Outing
and more Terengganu pictures click
it is always difficult to have what you wish to have in frame (except we make the story to capture ….)
A good example, I was looking at the beautiful reflection on beach
*** above picture is ~1.5minutes after picture below but it look about same before too
and what I have with the “magic minute” moment
with the wave, I have no choice to capture it as leading line instead what I original plan to have the beautiful reflection … so do not change yours position even something change but we make the change into our final output …..
**** it is always difficult but we still try our best to capture the beauty of the nature … enjoy ……
beside standard tools tripod, release cable, ….I using different filter for different situation and effect … e.g. I use super ND to clear silky effect on sunny day which discuss here.
I also make use of CPL to get better colors contrast, reflection, shot the clearness of the water …. sometime I do use it as ND filters too (2 stops) …
e.g. of the highlight of the coconut tree leaf on sunny day
the usage of the CPL just like Photography, it never have right or wrong … it just what you prefer to see … but above e.g. is to show how we use to reduce the highlight of the reflective part of the coconut tree leaf
another e.g. to show the water reflection and the saturation of the overall picture
both sample above show different effect can be archive by rotating the CPL…..
For me, if you serious in Landscape CPL is a necessary tool that always near you so you can have what effect you would like have which not easy archive by other filters or post processing ….
sample
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good news is the Marumi DHG CPL/DHG Super CPL are in-stock now… and thanks LeePhoto bringing in the such a good filters into market
contact me for price for COD near Kuala Lumpur/PJ/any place I reach …. or by courier service here
update 2013 May
update version
1. stronger arm that can handle heavy flash like 430EX , sb600 etc …
it is always good to bring flash closer to the object which help to freeze the object even wind or hand shake (for more info please google “Inverse-square law for Light”)
quick explanation : (we have some sample from http://www.rodandcone.com/2008/05/flash-durations-for-canon-580ex-ii-and.html)
1/128 power = 1/36313 seconds Flash Duration —- SCALED to REPORTED DATA
1/64 power = 1/25341 seconds
1/32 power = 1/19232 seconds
1/16 power = 1/12914 seconds
1/8 power = 1/9151 seconds
1/4 power = 1/6107 seconds
1/2 power = 1/4019 seconds
Full power = 1/833 seconds
Canon 580 EXii – Distance from Flash to Sensor: 2 feet
1/128 power = 1/52718 seconds Flash Duration —- SCALED to REPORTED DATA
1/64 power = 1/38845 seconds
1/32 power = 1/26887 seconds
1/16 power = 1/18626 seconds
1/8 power = 1/13039 seconds
1/4 power = 1/8447 seconds
1/2 power = 1/5006 seconds
Full power = 1/871 seconds
simple compare, the lower the power mean we have faster virtual shutter speed which help to freeze the moment (due to wind, hand shake and etc) … so if when we do handheld macrophotography, it is always good to make flash closer to the object …
so some of my testing are base using the flash bracket (which bring the light source closer to the object)
e.g.
with Wimberley bracket with samples pictures
http://liewwk-macro.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-i-shoot-macro-new-accessories-and.html
cheaper version of twin arm bracket
http://liewwk-macro.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-i-shoot-macro-cheaper-version-of.html
some sample use this with SB400 flash from Michael Ee
this bracket is in-stock now …
RM180/each (with advice how to design the diffuser with yours’ current setup – lenses, flash…..)
contact me if you would like to own one or look for advice …..
to make my life easier, I always keep this table with me while I use my 10 stops filter
| 10 stops exposure | |
| 1/1000 | 1 sec |
| 1/800 | 1 sec |
| 1/640 | 1 sec |
| 1/500 | 2 sec |
| 1/400 | 2 sec |
| 1/320 | 3 sec |
| 1/250 | 4 sec |
| 1/200 | 5 sec |
| 1/160 | 6 sec |
| 1/125 | 8 sec |
| 1/100 | 10 sec |
| 1/80 | 12 sec |
| 1/60 | 17 sec |
| 1/50 | 20 sec |
| 1/40 | 25 sec |
| 1/30 | 34 sec |
| 1/25 | 40 sec |
| 1/20 | 51 sec |
| 1/15 | 68 sec |
| 1/13 | 78 sec |
| 1/10 | 102 sec |
| 1/8 | 128 sec |
| 1/6 | 170 sec |
| 1/5 | 204 sec |
| 1/4 | 256 sec |
| 1/3 | 341 sec |
| 0.4 | 409 sec |
| 0.5 | 512 sec |
| 10/16 | 640 sec |
| 10/13 | 787 sec |
| 1 | 1024 |
for anything before 1/1000, our camera should able to give correct exposure … and for me anything more than 1000sec is almost too long to wait for .. so I will only use the filter
this formula is apply for
mySchneider – nd1000x or my Big Stopper
and some of my Long Exposures pictures
I witness a ant-mimic male guide or seem protect the female .. I was observe it (~10-15min) hope for something interesting happen among the male A (with tag) and female
but suddenly another male (Male B) turn up and try to fight with the male (it happen so fast (<1-2s) and they end up at this position …
after the Male A got kill, male B look at the female for a while outside the web … but the female just run away …. (even before I can try to give her a close up shot)
some of my Ant-mimic spider collection
http://liewwkphoto.com/blog/?p=326
and was with my update lighting setup
I am happy that invited by Andy, Paul , Hurnain, Khatijah for this night outing for reptiles … we were happy with 1 snake, 3 frogs, 1 tortise few macro model for ~2 hours walk in the jungle …
among all find, I am impress with this beautiful forest Gecko (Marbled Slender-toed Gecko or cyrtodactylus quadrivirgatus) .. it is so beautiful but too bad it leave us after few captures by me and Andy … sorry Hurnain 😀
not really have many reptiles and Gecko in my collection .. but I would love to do more in future …
A Bee-fly, Order Diptera (雙翅目) family Bombyliidae (蜂虻科) Toxophora sp.
quite common near my common macro area but always failed chase it …. as it is too tiny (~2-4mm at long) ….
I was lucky last week to have it with some dews too and I was using my SIGMA150 F2.8 that time so no problem to get few shots before it flew off …
and with FULL ET + 1.4TC + ~some crop
and thanks admin and member of www.diptera.info for the ID
more Fly Series | Diptera 雙翅目
http://www.flickr.com/photos/liewwk/sets/72157605352673898/with/5473302131/