Speckled Grass Hopper
Oct, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
There is a bike trail near my house, if you go down it a ways there is a wooded path. Go through that and it takes you to a meadow. I took this picture in that meadow.Time
I actually had been out all morning taking pictures of various insects for a assignment at school. I looked at this grasshopper and was surprised at how it looked such natural beauty. My problem was I don't have a macro lens. So I had to find the right spot with my telephoto lens fully extended at 200mm too get a really good close shot. The end result was stunning due to the closeness look and depth of field. Not to mention the position of the morning sun.Lighting
When taking pictures outside try to take them in the Morning or late afternoon. If the sun is to high then it will make you subject look flat. That is pretty much true for about every thing. With insects though they are must active during those times so it really works out for the best.Equipment
For this picture I used a Nikon 3200 with a Nikon 55mm-200mm lens.Inspiration
I always enjoyed taking pictures of insects, they can be so complex. So I had chose to do a series on insects. I just really wanted to show people their beauty that I can see in them. I always found it funny how most people don't like insects (besides butterflies). So I knew that it was a good time of the year to capture some in picture. I do hope this picture conveys the beauty I see to others.Editing
I shoot in raw format because you can work with it more in post. For this picture I cropped it to make the grasshopper better positioned in the picture. Then using Adobe Lightroom I changed my picture to black and white messing with the hue and saturation as well. I also raised the contrast so the grasshopper would pop even more off the background.In my camera bag
My equipment that I carry consists of my Nikon 3200 and a Cannon 40D. For my Nikon 3200 I have two lens a 18mm-55mm Lens and a 55mm-200mm lens. Along with a external flash. For my Cannon 40D I have one 18mm-55mm lens and two filters. I also have a external flash for my Cannon with extra batteries for everything. I also like to have a tripod with me most f the time.Feedback
For capturing a image of a insect in your area you first need to know what type of insects are around you. To find this out it is a good idea to do some research about the insects in your state. You don't want to get to close to something that might hurt you. So always do your research! After you have a good idea go to a local hiking trail or nature preserve. Insects are more active in the early morning and late afternoon to evening. Keep this in mind when you go out. If you don't want to get to close use your telephoto lens at 200mm. Stand a good 2-3ft away Make sure to have a low aperture and high shutter speed if you don't you will not get a good shallow depth of field. Also keep your ISO low preferably 100-200 remember the higher the ISO the grainer the picture for this type of pictures you want it to be clear so we can see as many details as possible.
