Post your insects

[Geoff F]

A couple of 'Snail Killing' Flies. Actually it is their larvae which live as parasites on slugs and snails.

This one is probably Coremacera marginata.



And possibly Sepedon sphega



This little Rove Beetle was rushing around and attempting to get past the water droplets.



Looks a bit like Staphylinus caesareus but they are a difficult group and there are several similar options.

[BrianA61]

OK, so I'll post the only shot of an insect I have. I wasn't even looking to shoot insects. My goal was a macro of the lily in my front yard. When I finished PP, I looked really carefully at the photo and that's when I noticed the spider. Sneaky little devil photo bombing me like that!

[deetheturk]

Great images Geoff!

[jdathebowler]

Saw this today believe it to be a Horse fly - Tabanus bovinus.Found out it is in fact a House Fly.
John

[Geoff F]

Doesn't really look like a horsefly species to me, John. More like one of the Muscidae family. Which includes the various 'house flies' (not 'blow flies') but there are many similar species amongst this group; so I tend to just pass them by when it comes to identification.

[jdathebowler]

Hi Geoff
I looked at the markings on the thoracic dorsum and they were similar to the Horse fly.They were also similar to the House Fly. I have had another look on Uk Safari it appears you may be right. I will post the image on the Dipterist Forum for a definite id.By the way this is the first shot that I took with the new Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens.It is certainly a lot different from using my extension tubes.It is quite a heavy lens.
John

[deetheturk]

Hi John, thats the lens I use most of the time, its a great lens looking forward to lots of posts from you!

Cheers David

[jdathebowler]

Hi David,The lens is a lot heavier than I thought it would be.It is also a little bit slow focusing but I will overcome that with a bit more practice.If the rest of my photos are as good or better than the one above then I will be happy.So indeed expect a few more posts.
John

[jdathebowler]

Hi Geoff,It was the Muscidae family genus Helina or possibly Phaonia. So thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.
John

[deetheturk]

John, the way I use mine is, set to Manual Focus, normally 1-1 then move in and out towards my subject, once in focus hit the shutter it takes a little getting used to but I find it works for me! Here's one from today.







Cheers David

[jdathebowler]

David, I set up the lens as you suggested and took this photo.You are right it is quicker.
John

[deetheturk]

Hi John, looks like you just missed focus on this one but keep at it, practice makes perfect and all that malarkey Keep them coming

David

[jdathebowler]

David, I don' think it's too bad seeing I shot it one handed.It's very windy today and I had to hold the Montbretia with my left hand.The main purpose for the shot was to try your suggestion. It does make it quicker so thanks for that.I will now continue to get the feel of the camera plus the lens(the weight difference is noticeable) and hope to see some improvement for next time.
John

[deetheturk]

Hi John, you did good considering what you were up against, welcome to the macro world lol I'm sure after you get the feel for it you will be pleased, like I said its a great lens

Cheers David

[Cantab]

John, the way I use mine is, set to Manual Focus, normally 1-1 then move in and out towards my subject, once in focus hit the shutter it takes a little getting used to but I find it works for me! Here's one from today.






Cheers David

David, this is a great photo. What are they?

I also use the Canon 100mm L. So far I've used autofocus but move in manually so that I'm in the general range. My theory is that the auto focus is quicker and more accurate than my wobbly holding of the camera. But I'll give your technique a go and see what happens.

[deetheturk]

Thank's Bruce, they are two different species of Ant What I find with my lens is that if you are on the edge of the auto focus (1-1 mag) it tends to hunt all over the place, and as I like to get as close to my bug as poss it makes sense I think anyway, to pre-set the focus in manual mode. Good luck giving it a go, will look out for your postings!

Cheers David

[Shadowman]

David, I set up the lens as you suggested and took this photo.You are right it is quicker.
John

Nicely captured.

[Shadowman]

John, the way I use mine is, set to Manual Focus, normally 1-1 then move in and out towards my subject, once in focus hit the shutter it takes a little getting used to but I find it works for me! Here's one from today.


Nice bit of interaction you've captured.




Cheers David

[Geoff F]

Looks like you have a Harlequin Ladybird there, John, succinea form; they come in quite a lot of variations.

Rhingia campestris, a fairly common but oddly shaped hoverfly feeding with its unusually shaped tongue.

[Geoff F]

And what looks a bit like a pair of Opomyza germinationis; but there are a few other options.