7-spot ladybird - Coccinella 7-punctata (I Think)
7-spot ladybird - Coccinella 7-punctata (I Think)
7-spot ladybird - Coccinella 7-punctata (I Think)
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Mar, 2014Views
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Awards
Chatter Award
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Creative Winter Award
Top Shot Award 21
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Featured
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Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
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Great Find
Jaw Dropping
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One Of A Kind
Top Class Lighting
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on a patch of disused land on the outskirts on Newtownards in Northern Ireland.Time
It was taken mid afternoon.Lighting
I tend to use flash with a with a number of different types of homemade diffusers. for this shot I used a diffuser of aprox 6" X 8" that sits about 4" above and parallel to the lens. This allows me to use smaller apertures handheld.Equipment
Nikon D90, Tamron 90mm Macro VC, Yongnuo 565ex flash unit.Inspiration
Over winter Ladybirds tend to congregate in gorse bushes for protection. So once I seen the flowers starting to bloom in the milder weather of late March I knew they would be about and a lot more active. The flowers give beautiful contrast to the red of the ladybird which was the reason I had gone out to try and track some down.Editing
The only post processing I usually do with insects and as with this shot is a bit of cropping when required, a slight enhancement of the color, a small levels adjustment and last of all a small amount of sharpening.In my camera bag
Nikon D90,2 X yongnuo 565 ex flashes,4 x yongnuo 622 remote triggers, Tamron 90mm Macro, Nikon 70-300 VR, a few different diffusers and a Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod.Feedback
When shooting insects heading out armed with flashes and diffusers is a must for me as even on very dull dreary days the flash can really bring your insect shots to life and allows you to work with very small apertures giving you a better depth of field. Always try to think of composition when shooting and finally take loads of shots. I know some people that will see something and take a couple of shots of it then when they get home are annoyed to find problems later on. There is nothing wrong (in my book) with taking 20-30 shots of one insect from different angles,distances and trying different lighting. This way you have a better chance of a stand out shot and the best thing is with digital the shots don't cost you anything.
