jamiespensley

Drone In The Dunes

A drone fly (hoverfly) in the sand dunes.

A drone fly (hoverfly) in the sand dunes.
Read less

Cornwall, GB

upload_date

Oct, 2021

Views

Likes

Awards

Curator's Selection

Staff Favorite

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Behind The Lens

Location

I took the photo in the sand dunes at Holywell Bay beach in Cornwall, UK.

Time

I took the photo during mid day since me and and my family were enjoying a nice day on the beach.

Lighting

The natural lighting was quite overcast and this meant my diffused flash looked better on the subject since there was no distracting harsh light coming from the sun.

Equipment

Canon 80d Canon 100mm f2.8 macro USM Yongnuo YN-560-III Custom flash diffuser

Inspiration

I have seen many macro photographers on Instagram take these insane focus stacks of insects and the level of detail in these images makes me just stare in awe.

Editing

I stacked 27 images taken at f/4. I did some colour grading, exposure correction and also removed some sensor dust spots.

In my camera bag

Canon 80d Canon 10-18mm F/4.5-5.6 Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Canon 70-200 f/4L Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro Yongnuo YN-560-III Custom flash diffuser

Feedback

For huge image stacks like this, my first step would be find a willing subject. I found this hoverfly dead on the floor which is perfect for a stack since it is not going to move but otherwise, insects are often less mobile in the early morning and when it is cold. Another tip is to think about your aperture. I usually shoot at f/8 or f/11 for single macro shots but this stack, I knew I wanted a really blurry background so chose f/4. This meant I had to be more careful when getting every single focal plane for my focus stack. To get every focus plane, I shoot handheld and slowly creep closer or further away from my subject, carefully snapping each shot. The slightest movement will alter your focus so be sure to have a steady posture. For this photo, I was lying down and resting my elbows on the floor and moving my arms by a tiny amount to change where my focus was.

See more amazing photos, follow jamiespensley

jamiespensley

jamiespensley

Drone In The Dunes

A drone fly (hoverfly) in the sand dunes.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow jamiespensley

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.