Spot On
Lady bug on plant.
Lady bug on plant.
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Jan, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photos was taken on one of my Saturday morning walks around my neighborhood. There is a lake nearby and this photo was taken near the water's edge.Time
You know, I took this photo so long ago that I could not recall off of the top of my head what time I took the photo. This question had me digging into my photo archives to retrieve the information. First, this photo was taken back in the summer of 2014. That was when I purchased what I consider my first DSLR camera. Looking at my photo archives shows that I took this photo at around 8AM. I enjoy taking photos either early in the morning as the sun is coming up (or hasn't been up for long) or in the afternoon as the sun is starting to go down.Lighting
As I mentioned, I tend to like taking photos early in the morning or late in the afternoon (dawn or dusk light). I like the golden color. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy taking photos at other times of the day, because I do. I even enjoy taking photos during the time of day others would consider the light to be harsh. This photo was taken a bit after 8AM. The sun has been up for at least a couple of hours, but it's still not high in the sky. I believe I used my camera's built-in flash to take this photo, hence the light spot on this ladybug's elytra.Equipment
I took this photo pretty much at the beginning of what I consider when I started to become serious about my photography hobby. This camera was my first decent DSLR - a Canon EOS Rebel T4i. I used a 100mm macro lens (not the L-lens; I was still new to photography and could not afford better glass). I rarely use a tripod with my photography, preferring handheld. As I mentioned, I'm pretty sure I used the T4i's built-in flash to get a bit more light on this ladybug.Inspiration
The color contrast between the ladybug and its surroundings grabbed my attention. My obsession with macro photography had only just begun at this time so I was practicing. I'd taken some photos a few days prior to this one of another ladybug - those photos didn't turn out as well as this one. I believe I got incredibly lucky.Editing
I do very minimal post-processing of my photos. With this one, I believe I adjusted the brightness and contrast slightly and tweaked the reds and greens under hues/saturation. Then I cropped the photo slightly.In my camera bag
I usually have several focal lengths of lenses in my bag. That's most important. While I do primarily tend to lean towards macro photography, I also like taking photos of birds and other wildlife. That requires some form of telephoto lens. I use several. I have a wide angle lens that I carry, too, but it doesn't get much use. I always carry spare batteries, a lens cloth, and sometimes my air blower to remove dust. With my newer cameras, I also carry an external flash since my new cameras do not have a built-in flash. One of the most important things I carry (other than spare batteries) are spare memory cards. When doing macro photography or wildlife, one tends to take a lot of shots to get a THE shot.Feedback
Macro photography can be tricky. You're breathing, your heart is pounding, and you are doing many other micro movements that you may not even be aware of. You need to figure out the best way for you to take macro photos that will minimize blur caused by motion. Everyone will be different. Also, your subject (depending on whether it has the ability to move on its own or not) may be moving slightly (or more than slightly) as well. You've got to be able to react quickly to those small or big movements. I find that manual focus works best. Your ability to tweak the focus will be faster than your camera hunting and seeking what you want to focus on. If your subject is moving around (whether on its own or because of something like the wind), a flash is key to freeze that movement.
