Macro Photo Weekend (Day 1)

Macro Photo Weekend - Day 1


Heatwave? What heatwave?

We arrived to find an Amber warning from the Met Office for thunder/lightning and torrential rain with flooding on the roads.  Right in the middle of the biggest heatwave in 30 odd years!  Not great for macro shooting.....BUT, Sandra made good with the moth trap last night, 30+ moths, and we did get 45mins outside before the storm hit.

The group got to take some great images of bees on the onion and leek heads, nice big white tailed bees, and some smaller workers, and we released some moths at this point for photographing, and everyone in the group got some great images.


Marvellous Moths

The moth traps at Oxford Island catch some real beautiful creatures overnight - I've got some lovely images from the releasing of these, elephant hawk, poplar hawk, canary shouldered thorn, and the excellent gold spot.

The gold spot is named for the shiny spots on the wing markings, and its a striking creature with a rich red colour all round.  As with all my macro work, I used the Olympus E5 body and Sigma 105mm macro 1:1 lens.


Gold Spot Moth - 1/125s - f/11 - iso100 - 105mm

Gold Spot Moth - 1/125s - f/11 - iso100 - 105mm



Pop-up Studios

Once the rain forced us in, it was time for the pop-up macro studios.  There are great bits of kit for indoor shooting, whether its product, still life or insects, you can easily control the lighting and make use of different background colours.



Pop-up Studios in action
Pop-up studios in action


An example of a typical shot from this setup, with controlled lighting and background, is an evenly lit and fine detailed closeup:


Pale Tussock moth in macro studio - 1/125s - f/11 - iso100 - 105mm


That was it for Day 1 of the MPW.  More to follow tomorrow with Lightroom sessions, a Photoshop session delivered by good friend Rosie, and some macro shoots of the aquatic insect life on the pond. Can't wait!!!



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

3 Winter Species to Photograph

Winter Bird Workshop 2019

Autumn Woodland Workshop