I really can't remember where this came up apart from being some time ago. Someone had a photograph with some lines of colour banding in and was asking what caused it. Think I suggested it might be spider web but didn't really have a convincing example. Anyway came across this photo on flickr https:...

Wonderful stacks !
Got to ask how you attach an MPE-65 to a Nikon D800-E and do you have any aperture control ?
Brian v.

papilio wrote:Fascinating discovery Brian!!

I hope I manage to get lucky enough when I try this to get images as wonderful as these, well done!

Thanks Michael - hope you are lucky !
Brian v.

Nice series. I certainly have never had luck getting jumpers to stay still. Orbweavers and wolf spiders I have been able to stack with out too much trouble though. Based on your images, maybe I should start keeping a few roridula around for photography purposes ;) Thanks- I certainly did not unders...

abpho wrote:Nice series Brian. Love that 10x.

Thanks Abpho
Brian V.

I was trying to snap this baby jumping spider for quite a while, chasing it all over a wheelie bin lid. I tried to get it to settle on a flower I put there but it would not. I eventually gave up and used the flower to transport it to some plants. The spider had other ideas and decided to abseil away...

Thanks for the congrats Phil :) Rik - not only was it from 2009 it was also a crop ! Think they were after shock value but most importantly with a whitish background so they could do their text stuff. I gave up trying to understand why picture editors want specific pics for their magazines ages ago....

In addition to being remarkable for the fly's small size, I find that the background adds a sense of drama and interest to the photograph. The small size of the creature is enhanced by including more of this background, too. A sense of the world this small fly inhabits is thus provided. In other wo...

Smallest fly I've ever spotted. A gall midge I think, 0.8mm body length.
Taken at 5:1 FF MPE-65
Brian v.

Shaneshac wrote:Thanks for the info.

So you are moving the twig back and forwards to get the different focal planes while the lens stays static on your hand?

No, Having got the angle I want I am moving the camera forward on my hand to get the focus slices.
Brian v.

Thanks for the comments fuzzyd and Shaca :) Shaca - I'm handholding. I'm actually holding the twig the bug is on in my left hand and resting the camera lens on the same hand. This both stabilises the camera with respect to the bug and also allows me to manipulate the leaf in my fingers to give diffe...

Hawthorne shieldbug on a bonsai beech tree leaf. It was bery well behaved and allowed me to shoot some different angles. All shots focus stacked using zerene. Brian V. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3685/14304718673_586bdde872_o.jpg https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/14304718693_b1037bfe95_o.jpg ht...

Thanks for the comments
Rik - yes the wasps directly parasitise the eggs or larvae I believe.
Brian V.

For a few years I've seen small (2.5mm) chalcid wasps in groups on columbine (aquilegia) flowers. I'd tried to find out what they were actually doing on the flowers apart from mating and had failed. This year I again took a photo of one of the wasps and then took a photo of a frit fly that was stand...

xavosp wrote:Nice images.

I hope I'm not wrong while IDing this beetle, but here is a link that may be of interest to you:

http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/harpalus-affinis

Thanks Xavier- that may well be the species- funny it says it's one of the few ground beetles active during the day.
Brian v.