Longhorn Beetle Head Dorsal & Ventral View

Images taken in a controlled environment or with a posed subject. All subject types.

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beetleman
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Longhorn Beetle Head Dorsal & Ventral View

Post by beetleman »

I found the eyes of this Longhorn Beetle rather interesting because they almost wrap around the whole head. I love seeing the palpi also.

Dorsal view.
Image

Ventral View

Image
Take Nothing but Pictures--Leave Nothing but Footprints.
Doug Breda

lauriek
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Post by lauriek »

Really nice work Doug! Seeing top and bottom really gives us an idea of the size of the eyes on this! :)

Nicely controlled lighting, looks like a shiny critter, bet you had to use a load of diffusion!

I normally prefer bug heads from the top, but the contrasting colours of the mouthparts really make the second one shine I think!

Jbailey
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Post by Jbailey »

Really excellent photos, Doug. Did you use a light tent?

Jim

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Post by rjlittlefield »

lauriek wrote:I normally prefer bug heads from the top
Try imagining that you're really small, looking up, as this critter looms over you! :shock: 8-[

Doug, these did come out really well. :D

But I notice there's some more of that banding in the upper background of both images. Any clue yet what's causing that?

--Rik

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Post by Aynia »

Great photos. :D

Harold Gough
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Post by Harold Gough »

Excellent. I don't see any banding.

Harold
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beetleman
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Post by beetleman »

Thanks everyone for the great comments.

Jim.....I do use diffusing material over the specimen. It is like the thin packing material they use to protect the front surface of LCD monitors. Sorta like very thin bubblewrap. I made a small half dome on a block of wood and the specimen is inside much like a light tent.

Rik....I did look through the pictures I made the stack with and it does seem like there are some that seem to change in brightness. I am using Method A in HF and the banding is showing up in the final full size that comes out. I use 100% for the final size also.
Take Nothing but Pictures--Leave Nothing but Footprints.
Doug Breda

nto
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Post by nto »

Doug, first photos look better,I like very dark gray background.

rjlittlefield wrote: But I notice there's some more of that banding in the upper background of both images. Any clue yet what's causing that?
I think this is adjustment contrast and color saturation, I noticed similar effect with my background picture, with the stack of more than 100 images.
Antonio

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Post by rjlittlefield »

nto wrote:I think this is adjustment contrast and color saturation, I noticed similar effect with my background picture, with the stack of more than 100 images.
That's a good possibility that had not occurred to me.

Does the banding go away if you turn off the "Brightness" adjustment?

Of course it might then be replaced by something like mottling, as different frames get selected in the background region. :(

--Rik

nto
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Post by nto »

rjlittlefield wrote: Does the banding go away if you turn off the "Brightness" adjustment?
is low with parameters I have not had problems
rjlittlefield wrote: Of course it might then be replaced by something like mottling, as different frames get selected in the background region. :(
replace background is problematic with stacks, differences in brightness very stress


other possibility might be setting reflex, and 350D problem started with change parameters jpg contrast +2 and sharpness +2
Antonio

Charles Krebs
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Post by Charles Krebs »

Doug,

Very nice indeed! You have been making some excellent "stacks".

Color banding is a real problem with certain backgrounds. It is exacerbated in the stacking procedure. If you have the version of HF that let's you edit the output image you can select a single image that most closely matches the outline of the subject and "clone" that around the final output (as much as is possible). Sometimes it can be avoided by working in 16 bit color (but then you have all the raw conversion and large files to deal with).

Be sure to have the camera set for a specific white balance (i.e. not AWB). I have found that some cameras will slightly alter the color during a stack if set to AWB.

Also... if you are using electronic flash (always at a "manual" setting) keep an eye out for consistency in exposure. Some flash units are very good at outputting the same amount of light for each shot... others are not. :cry: (always allow plenty of recycle time... especially if you are using the flash at near full power).

Try to get an original exposure/contrast that will require a minimum of "adjustment" (such as "levels", "contrast" or "curves") after the stack is finished. If the image looks OK after the stack (no noticeable banding) but it starts to become a problem as I "tweak" it, there is another trick I'll try that will occasionally help. I will change the image from 8 bit to 16 bit, and then run a "filter" called "Histogram Repair" by "Power Retouche". (This interpolates the color data and "fills in" the 16 bit "envelope". Otherwise you are still working with with same amount of data). This will sometimes allow modest adjustment without the banding that occurred as an 8 bit image. (Unfortunately I have not been able to predict beforehand when this will help and when it does not. If you can already see banding in the 8 bit image it's too late to try this).

Incidentally... the second spider image I recently posted was a two image stack and at first showed significant banding. When I looked at the original jpeg's there was already some slight banding visible right out of the camera! I converted the raw files and worked with 16 bit color... and had no problem then.

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Post by Harold Gough »

Flash guns should be fully charged when switched off, not discharged.

Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.

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