keithpassaur

Green Bee Close up

Bee Close up

Bee Close up
Read less

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

settings

Aperture f/8 ISO 100 Shutter 1/160 Focal Length 65/1

upload_date

Sep, 2017

Views

973

Likes

+154

Awards

Contest Finalist in Macro Games Photo Contest

Peer Award

+58

Absolute Masterpiece

Magnificent Capture

Top Choice

Superior Skill

Virtuoso

Outstanding Creativity

Superb Composition

All Star

Genius

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 2

Top 20 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken on a little stage I built for stacked macro images. Its sort of hard describe but I will try. On a piece of think aluminum (about 5" X 1/2 inch and 4 feet) there is a slider that is used for video. Instead of a camera on it is two way focusing rail for fine placement. This rail also has one that has been altered an now goes vertical and has an "L" bracket on it with another vertical stage or in its place a small clamp. On the opposite end of all of this is a machinist's linear stage, with a block on top to raise the height and then on top of that a "StackShot" automated rail.

Time

I took this in the middle of the day.

Lighting

I used two Canon 580 EXII flashes set on manual. Both had a large metal diffuser (ss dog bowl with a hole cut for the flash) with a thin nylon cover on it. The flashes head on each side was about 5 inched from the bugs head.

Equipment

I used a Canon 5D MKII, a MPE-65 lens at about 4:1 or perhaps 5:1. This lens does not record in the EXIF data what it was at and I have no reason to really care. As mentioned two flashes were used, on was on a cable that other one was triggered from the master flash so I could adjust output from the camera. The camera was placed on a StackShot rail. This rail can be programed so that it is really easy to use once you figure it out. What you do is program in the travel distance for different magnifications. So, with the MPE-65 you look at the side of the lens and it shows the magnification. You then call up the travel distance for that magnification and move the unit or the subject to the closest focus point. You set that point and then you move the camera via the rail to the furthest point of focus and set that point. Once set you click on run. I would think this is actually between 40-50 images that are stacked, again - no need to remember it is the process that you need to know.

Inspiration

I enjoy taking macro shots of bugs and decided it was time to learn to take staged ones. I can hand hold my camera and shoot a stack of a few images that make an good image at 2:1 - 3:1 but I wanted to kick it up a bit and that requires an indoor setup. I already knew how to do it.

Editing

The stacked images were processed first by Canon's DPP software. All that was really done was a little bit of sharpening and then they were exported as tiff images. For what it is worth no one processes RAW files as well as the manufacturer's software. Well, I heard a Nikon Ambassador say that and then he explained why. So, I figure why not use Canon's conversion to a tiff and then use IrfanView to add LZW compression. The files are now about the same size of the RAW files with all the detail. It probably does not make much difference in this but when you shoot in IR it makes a huge difference. Anyway, after conversion to a tiff I stack them in Helicon Focus and save them as a JPG. Then finally I clean them up a little and crop them in LightRoom. Not a lot of processing in LightRoom they come out of Helicon either really good or you don't waste the time converting them to tiffs. None of this is difficult it is just time consuming.

In my camera bag

For this shot this really does not apply but for what it is worth I don't usually use a camera bag. I have numerous ones and I have tried all kinds of styles from companies like Domke, Pelican Tamrac, LowePro etc. What I have ended up with is I store everything in an individual cases. I have no particular favorite brand. I have lens cases from LowePro, Thinktank, and some Chinese ones as well. I put a tag on the lens case so I will know what is in it as they are all black and some are the same size. I then put what I want to take in a Stanley Fatmax box. The Faxmax boxes are tool boxes with a weather proof seal. They are similar to a Pelican case only much lighter and 10 percent of the cost. They are not the quality of a Pelican case but I don't need a pressure relief valve etc. When I go out to photograph bugs I always bring a flash. Which model really depends upon the mood that I am in. I have a 270 EXII, a 580 EXII, and Canon's Ring Flash. I had the Canon MT-24 but it died and I know how I can get the same effect without it. There are positives and negatives for each model of flash. I always use a flash bracket to move the flash closer to the subject. I have numerous ones but what I like the best is a Magic Arm mounted to Custom Brackets Mini CB-RC or on a tripod collar. For a camera I usually use a Canon 5D MK II. For lenses I always have a 100mm Macro in my bag and either a Canon MP-65 or an old Canon 28-80 (the 28-90 is better but mine broke) and a Novoflex reversing ring. I also have a 24-105 kit lens and a 100-400 lens as well in my box. I don't lug any of this around. I go to the park take a quick look around to see what is available to shoot. I then pull out what I want from the trunk of my car. If I am not shooting bugs and have to walk to some location I just pull out what I want and put it in a light weight nylon backpack. For what it is worth I attended a workshop in Maine a couple of years ago and was laughed at as I was using my daughters old purple, white and black Jansport backpack from middle school. No one would steal a bag like this and everything inside was very well protected. Second I only carried what I needed to make the shot, an extra wide angle lens, filters etc. not items that would be useless to me on that shoot. Others had numerous lenses in very well padded massive backpacks and they never used any of it yet they were lugging it down to the site.

Feedback

Shots like this are really just learning how to do it. You don't have to spend a ton of money on equipment to get shots like this. You just don't want to skimp on a few things. How you get the magnification really doesn't matter, you can use tubes or reverse a lens etc. If you don't want to go the tube route you can get fantastic image quality from a Nikon 50mm 2.8 (the newer cheap one is better) enlarger lens on a bellows. These lenses are usually around $50 on ebay and they certainly rival the over 1K Canon MPE-65. However you do need a bellows for this and you want one from a quality manufacturer such as Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax etc. Don't go with a new Chinese one as they are really cheap. You can get a one in great condition for $50 - $100 with a focusing rail built in. You will also need a focusing rail and don't skimp on the quality of it. These $20 Chinese ones are actually junk. (but they have a use - mount your subject to one for easy placement) If you go the bellows route you can get one with a rail built in. This may sound silly but keep in mind some rails go in the hundreds of dollars because there are so many foolish photographers with money. Seriously $350 for a RRS Focusing Rail. You can opt for a machinist's lineal stage which go easily down to 1/10,000th of an inch for a quarter of the price and I assure you the quality will be better than any camera one. Anyway you need a good rail. There are some knockoffs of the StackShot like the WeMacro rail that goes for $250 - reviews of it are very good. You will need a flash or two for this to work. With high magnification vibration is a real nightmare. I mean over the top nightmare, if you think mirror lock on a stable tripod is going to consistently get you good shots at 5:1 you are wrong. The flash should have the following qualities. It should not be a normal studio strobe as they have longer flash durations. It should take four batteries for faster recycle times and finally it should be manually adjustable. So, you can use about anything from an old Vivitar 283 to your newest and greatest from your camera manufacturer. You do not need a special macro flash and you don't want a Macro LED flash as they are not powerful enough. There are macro DOF calculators online and I would just put in standards like 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 up to 10:1 and then go the other way 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 etc. and make a chart. You can get apps for your phone that do it as well but all you really need is a little chart. You must figure out your magnification. Its not hard after you do it a few times to guess it and be close. What you can do is setup your shot and then move the subject back, place a ruler in the subject place and read the dimension (length or width) and use it to calculate the magnification. Once done move the subject back into position. If you have a macro lens you can also add a teleconverter to increase the magnification and if you have software where you can tether you camera you can do it easily do this by focusing, clicking on the advance focus arrow taking another shot etc. Outside you can actually use Magic Lantern if you have a Canon Camera, set the near focus, how many focus steps and the focus step increase. So there are many ways, they all work, it is what you like and what is in your budget.

See more amazing photos, follow keithpassaur

keithpassaur

keithpassaur

Green Bee Close up

Bee Close up

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow keithpassaur

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.