My first contribution - Anthidium florentinum

rumbert · Post by **rumbert** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 4:00 am

This is my first contribution to the forum, it's a bee known as Anthidium florentium.

The photo had been taken with a Sigma 105mm Macro lens, using all three macro extension tubes. I also used the Sigma macro flash EM-140.

sonyalpha · Post by **sonyalpha** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:22 am

A good clear shot with a very similar set up to mine lens-wise.............but I think you need to devise a diffuser to soften your flash...............better experts than me on here will advise further:

Like many others I fitted an opaque plastic container over the flash head....lined it with crinkly cooking foil then covered it all with a double layer of opaque A4 folder.........I will see if I can find a photograph for you:

Here you go............there is now an opaque plastic folder wrapped around to diffuse the flash even more...............my current favourite settings are
F16 or F14 S 160 with the flash level adjusted to suit ambient light conditions...............see my latest posts for results:

I hope this helps?

sonyalpha

For illustration, see here:

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/u ... ORUM_2.jpg

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/u ... ORUM_1.jpg

DQE · Post by **DQE** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:06 am

Very enjoyable photo of a charming critter!

I especially like the background texture and lighting. The bee's head and face are interesting with their somewhat brighter lighting, too.

Welcome!

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:35 am

rumbert, welcome aboard!

The bee looks good. Interesting composition, focus placed perfectly, good control of both highlights and shadows, creamy background. Nicely done!

The eye would look a little more natural with more diffuse illumination, but it's hard to keep two flashes from producing separate reflections no matter what you do. Many people use a single-flash scheme with a large diffuser to sort of imitate overcast lighting. The snoot arrangement shown in sonyalpha's setup does something similar.

--Rik

rumbert · Post by **rumbert** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:04 am

Thank you for your helpful advices.

I'm still learning about the capabilities of the macro flash and I hope next photos could be better.

The configuration shown by sonyalpha seems to be so interesting to prove it.

ChrisLilley · Post by **ChrisLilley** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:55 am

Welcome to the forum!

That is a very nice result, good detail on the eye.

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 4:04 pm

Hey, welcome to the forums. I have that lens too! Now, if I can just get photos like that with it.

pbertner · Post by **pbertner** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 5:12 pm

Great shot with nice detail. The catchlight in the eye is bright but not overly distracting. You can always soften it in PP by pixel blending/feathering or clone it out entirely. Of course diffusion is probably the best overall solution.
Welcome to the forum,
Paul

rumbert · Post by **rumbert** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 2:06 am

Thanks for your comments.

Do you know any configuration schema to apply a diffusor to the EM-140? Maybe overlapping a soft paper?

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 4:22 am

rumbert wrote:Thanks for your comments.

Do you know any configuration schema to apply a diffusor to the EM-140? Maybe overlapping a soft paper?

Don't know about the EM-140 but on my 430EX Canon speedlite, I use a rectangular piece of plastic cut from a frosted water jug and it is held in place with stick on velcro strips. That way I can remove or replace the diffuser quickly as needed. It is flat, easy to stow in your gadget bag, and doesn't take up space, if any, at all.

Retro · Post by **Retro** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 8:45 am

As a result of your lighting technique in this beautiful photo it appears that one can see through the surface of the eye to the bee's retina.
This has opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about how/what an insect sees. I have to admit that I thought a compound eye produces completely formed images at each facet that are sent from there to the brain where they are integrated as some sort of multi-image picture (as has been depicted in so many "Nature Shows").
It now seems apparent that each facet is part of a large lens which projects an image onto one large retinal structure and then to the brain, much as our eyes do.
This makes a lot More sense than my former way of thinking.

Please chime-in if you feel like enlightening me further.

Jim

rumbert · Post by **rumbert** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:55 am

I don't really know how the insect eye works, but I readed that each element/sensor from the compound eye just only determine if there is light or not, not a real image. The insects can't see an image as we can do, they can see the movements by the variations on the light intensity.

Tesselator · Post by **Tesselator** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 11:07 am

Excellent Bee.

And welcome in!

BTW, I don't think their brains are big enough to process shape - but if we could use their eye lenses to render the pattern that is ultimately transmitted to their brain I guess we could process the shapes. I guess it would look fish-eye like and pixelated.

http://www.isa.org/InTechTemplate.cfm?S ... ntID=53255

http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/perma ... ision.html

Retro · Post by **Retro** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 1:00 pm

Wow! Both are very interesting and enlightening articles Tess. they do not address what I think I see in rumbert's fine photograph but on the other hand what I imagine to be retina may only be reflections of the bee's body.
Regardless this picture has inspired my to delve deeper into insect vision, make that vision in general.

See what you've started rumbert?
Keep shooting,
Jim

rumbert · Post by **rumbert** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 1:21 pm

Retro wrote: See what you've started rumbert?

Jim

Knowledge always haunts us,