a wet Fly
Jun, 2015Views
11695
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in Macro Monsters Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Magic Of Editing Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Miniature Worlds Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 2
Contest Finalist in Insects And Critters Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 1
Contest Finalist in Sharpness Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Miniature Masterpieces Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Alien Photo Contest
Printicapp Book and more
Contest Finalist in Tiny Subjects And Depth Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Virtuoso
Genius
Love it
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Categories
Marcogressler
June 28, 2015
Thanks! I use the Sigma105 macro for all my macro shots and a Raynox250 to get close enough. This pic actually is a stack of more than 50 images I took with helicon remote and finally stacked with helicon focus and a few hours of photoshop work. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. kind regards, Marco
amparaggio
July 11, 2015
This is beyond amazing! I read your response to the comment below. How were you able to get 50 images taken to focus stack without the bug moving?
malhar
August 28, 2015
Awesome work Marco, but how would you be able to get 50 photo without bug moving..? Was that fly a live..?
simifriedman
January 14, 2016
HI Never mind I Just read your story and ure retouching /post production process.. man you have patience FIVE hours of work on one image. I mean its mind-blowing Gorgeous (and I don't like bugs/ flies ) but it looks like its insert with jewels.. Also now I know the secret to photog insects.. Don't sleep and do it in the cold ;-)
PRO+
nelsongil
March 22, 2016
Im guessing that this picture was done by stacking focus. But how the heck did you get the fly to stand still for each frame? Beautiful though!
Marcogressler
March 23, 2016
Hi, its pretty difficult to explain that in a few words, but you can read it at fstoppers if you want to. www.fstoppers.com/photo/101013 - wish you a nice day!
PRO+
WimKeesmaat
May 24, 2016
Marco, this is really beautiful! I have to read your explanation yet, but I'm going to do that for sure. I just have bought my first DSLR and I am learning how to make good macro pics with my normal lenses with extension rings and with a reversed lens, and these kind of pictures, like yours, are an inspiration not to give up :-) So thanx for showing this one!
Platinum
karinmcfarlane
October 05, 2016
Critters aka insects give me the creepers but there is no denying photo ops of them. Your photo is stunning!
Platinum
PRO+
adavies
February 02, 2017
This is incredible! Just read your response re: the process...your patience and tenacity paid off in a huge way! Really beautiful! :)
PRO+
michaelharvey_9712
September 19, 2017
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This picture is taken at the lake of constance, not far away from where I live. I was looking for calm insects after a cold night when the dewdrops got frozen. It's a beautiful inspiring place next to cornfields and trees that lead directly to the lake.Time
the early bird gets the worm and the second mouse gets the cheese - this time I was the early bird. Right when the sun showed up I went out and took some pics. Usually I get up 2hours before sunrise, I jump into warm clothes - don't underestimate the temperatures when you have to crawl as quietly as you can be through the wet meadows and woods ;) it's not really crawling but you have to move slowly and take care not to move the grass to much. The insects flight distance is seriously reduced but they're still alive! So I pack my things (list below) and go out for hunting. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes and sometimes I go home really frustrated without a shot. But thats part of the challenge and its even more fun if I get a cool shot finally.Lighting
This day I found the fly sitting on a flower and the dewdrops covered her body. That was my opportunity and this is where the time is starting to work against me! So I got my tripod with the ballhead and the two way macro slider to adjust the camera exactly. Two Yongnou flashes for the lighting and a reflector to block the sun light - constant light conditions are neccessary for such a venture. My lens was a Sigma 105mm 2.8 Macro lens, which I love and for this pictures of course, the Raynox DCR250 close up lens. So when the setup is done, I connected my camera via USB3.0 Cable to my macbook and started HeliconRemote so I could adjust the camera right and test the settings (no worry, the flash isn't frightening the insects). If everything is done, I let the software what it's supposed to do and with Mirror lock-up activated - vibrations are the death of tack sharp images ;) - It takes about 5 minutes to shoot a bit more than 50 shots and if you're lucky, the insect will not fly away during that period... But - because I work with living objects, they probably move the feelers a bit. You wont even recognize that but you'll see that as big difference in the post production.Equipment
D800e with battery grip Sigma 105mm 1.4 Raynox DCR250 CloseUp lens Tripod 2 x Yongnou 560III with small softboxes for the light radio triggerInspiration
my enthusiasm of research and the technical challengeEditing
I was lucky this time and that's where my PostProduction starts. It takes me about 5 hours to stack and retouch it. I start with minor adaptions in LIGHTROOM: - optimizing the white balance - increasing the shadows - bringing back some highlights - playing with the camera calibration - slightly adjusting the colors a bit Then I export the full resolution 16bit TIFF Files for HeliconFocus and let that stack it together. It's always a bit of experimenting with the stacking options and most of the time I end up with to pictures I manually blend in Photoshop the next step in PHOTOSHOP Manually blending means, that some of the parts are better in the first pic and some are better in the other one but the challenge are the feelers as I mentioned before... They were moving... And 1/100 of an inch feels like 1 feet on your screen in Photoshop! So the feelers have to be blended manually. That and the "errors" that the stacking software produces are the main part of this work. After that I import that (about 2GB picture) back into lightroom and do my final adjustments.In my camera bag
a lot, but important is not the equipment its your eye! And something to drink ^^ For all who want to know it though: D800e with battery grip Sigma 85mm 1.4 Sigma 105mm 1.4 Nikon 50mm 1.8 Tamron 24-70mm 2.8 with circ. pole filter Raynox DCR250 CloseUp lens microfiber towel lenspen additional batteriesFeedback
be patient, get up early, try to improve your skills all the time and the most important thin is to have fun with what you do! Thats what gives you wings! Hope U like my shots, wis you a wonderful day! Be the change you want to see in this world! - Gandhi
