Wildlife in my House

[Brownbear]

Something different and I think it could work better next time around if I...

1. Picked a newer leaflet
2. Put the bug in better light

And?

F11 SS 400 Macro lens (tripod used but focusing was challenging)



Thank you.

[Shadowman]

Very nice, surprised it cooperated while you setup.

[James G]

Christina, excellent capture. I agree with John about being lucky to have the cricket hang around while you set up.

This kind of shot is always a matter of chance.

Focus is always an issue with macro, and insects especially present problems because of the limited depth of field. Usually antenna move.
You have achieved a good focus on head,eye, wing, and abdomen from an angle that is not parallel with the body which is pretty good.

[Stagecoach]

Good one Christina,

I'm sure the purists will be thinking, hey it's not in its natural habitat but from the number of critters I have living inside I reckon they prefer it

[James G]

Just had a thought from Graeme's post.... What time of day was the capture? I just assume it was a cricket because of the long antennae. Grasshoppers tend to be smaller. But, crickets tend to be nocturnal.

When it comes to purists they will be more inclined to as where the ears are! ( On the front legs for a cricket and on the side of the abdomen for a grasshopper)

If you have an image which shows a clear spot at the bend of each front leg then its a cricket.

In any event, still a good capture.

[nimitzbenedicto]

Awesome focusing skills.

And your speed in spotting it; getting your stuff up and about; that decisive click.
Seems like from your accumulated experience/constant hands-on, your gear has become a part of you.

As they say in Iaido - "Mu " - without thinking....

[Brownbear]

Thank you to all for your C&C.

It was mid-morning when I found this little guy. I used a glass to move him to a fruit bowl where he sat a top of a banana (all those shots had really poor focus) so I encouraged him to hop on a bus schedule which I placed outside on a chair my patio (better light but still not great). It looked like the edge of a book and he seemed content to be there for a while.

Grahame this is his 2nd visit. He eventually flew away and I hope he returns so I can try again.

James it was mid-morning. And I can see a little round, transparent spot (hard to tell because of the noise in the image) at the bend in the leg just below the kneecap. Thank you for the tips I would like to improve my focus and DOF and it seems to be a challenge with macro shots, and the tripod although needed feels very cumbersome to me.

Thank you Victor but truthfully the grasshopper seemed content to hang around, not that he sat still

[TonyW]

Christina, that is a nice image. All my attempts at macros of insects have been mediocre and I am jealous of all you people who seem to do so much better. My problem is nearly always getting enough depth of field.

[Wavelength]

Nicely done

[Brownbear]

Hi Tony,

Thank you. I like the composition of the image because it is unique, ie; a grasshopper or cricket studying a book. But my depth of field could be better (note that the legs are blurry) and my focus could also be sharper even though I used a tripod.

I haven't done much of this stuff but I follow the insects thread so I can see and learn what great macro shots look like. I lived in Mexico for a while and I have tons of out of focus not enough DOF shots on some incredible looking insects (hard to find here). So I'm going to practice whenever I find a bug.

I had my camera set on auto iso and it chose an iso of 3200 for this shot, which is ridiculously high and noisy and I think I still had to up the exposure a wee bit in PP or at least increase the whites. (Manual F11 SS 400 Exp comp +.6)

If this little guy visits me again I am going to place him on a nice looking, new open book by the window or on my patio for better light. I could have used a larger aperture but I did not have enough light (even though it was photographed during the day), and I could've used flash but the shutter speed would've been too low (he was moving around quite a bit)... In other words I found it hard to photograph, so I will keep practicing with every opportunity that comes up, and I hope you do the same.

Christina, that is a nice image. All my attempts at macros of insects have been mediocre and I am jealous of all you people who seem to do so much better. My problem is nearly always getting enough depth of field.

PS thank you Nandakumar...

[Karm Redland]

Hi Christina. What you might want to try next time, I might be going too far in my suggestion, is to get a children's book with pictures of crickets in them. Have your live cricket on top of a page with an image of a cricket on it. Set you camera up before hand and set it to take multiple shots at a time. Might make an entertaining shot. If this sounds too weird just ignore it.

karm

[Brownbear]

Hi Karm,

I think that is a wonderfully creative idea! Thank you for sharing. I will look for a book like that at the library and keep it at my house until I'm paid another visit Fingers crossed.

Hi Christina. What you might want to try next time, I might be going too far in my suggestion, is to get a children's book with pictures of crickets in them. Have your live cricket on top of a page with an image of a cricket on it. Set you camera up before hand and set it to take multiple shots at a time. Might make an entertaining shot. If this sounds too weird just ignore it.

karm