liewwk Nature Photography Blog
I had slow down a lot on macro for pass 6 months ….
my previous testing on my lighting …. is mainly for Canon MP-E65 or you may refer here and only once I test my SIGMA150 light HERE …
and now …. I am working on my new SIGMA 105 OS … as below .. just a start for how I bring my flash closer …. and making the diffuser in progress …….
and stay tune .. more testing result for 5dm2 + SIGMA150 and 7d + 50mm MACRO
not many love them or most of us hate them … they destroy, bite … etc … but when we look close there are cute
this is good of MACRO photography , let we look thing differently … not only photography but we should look every at different angle before conclude
while my trip to Bake’lalan , I did spent ~2 hours in a lovely jungle purely for MACRO.. a beautiful jungle with so much thing found …
One of them is a GOLD bar … I thought why a gold flying around while I saw this … and when I approach .. just notice this is a WASP …
a bug that really make my day, we had a short night outing in a reserve jungle within KL …. within 2 hours .. we found few interesting model e.g. Spotted Litter Frog… , juvenile Spiny Turtle, Lovi’s Reed Snake & Marbled Forest Gecko
a nothing special while you see it at picture …..
have a look how interesting is this firefly
I didn;t able to capture it’s head due to the environment … and would love to see it again
thanks Andy Paul for the ID
adult larviform female of a firefly from the lamprigera spp.
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
look funny where it look trap by the spider web ….
More Frog pictures
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 …..
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
weather look good now (most of the night are clear) .. so I would like to go for quick stars chase & macro
Genting Highland – Bukit Tinggi
24 March
~1130pm – should be meet up in the mid night ~11pm
25 March
~ 2am – start look for star
~ 6am – change location for sunrise
~ 8-9am – breakfast near Gohtong Jaya
~ 10am-3pm – MACRO @Bukit Tinggi
so if you want to learn shoot star and MACRO, I am there to sharing some of my experiences to you all
1. stars
2. sunrise
3. MACRO
while I first see this bee .. I was amaze how fast it flying around, it is like impossible see what’s the fly or bee flying so fast with blue “thing” so I use few hours sit there and wait .. and trying to observe what’s the “object” flying around
Finally, I managed to “pause” and capture my very 1st “blue bee”
and few weeks later while I do my usual night MACRO, I found the Blue bee sleeping !!!!!!
since then, I love to see this bee sleep … and start love to find it as … it never move after sleep … it use it tooth clamp on the any stick, no matter how u shake, move it around. It will never woke us easily
This Bee , it is almost impossible to shoot day time where it fly real fast … you need a lot of patient to shoot it …. and it is good to capture while it sleep , it never move even we move it around, flash it …
and I even able to shoot 10x
since then I never stop shooting it … even I have >100 pictures how this bee sleeping … even I brought some of my close friend to this spots to find it and shoot it for many times …
I have some video show how this bee woke up and flew off just within seconds ….