Extreme Macro in the Garden

I spend a short time each morning recording what is in the garden and at the moment I am also trying to gather more images for a project on arthropod eyes. I was using an 80mm macro lens with 2 times converter which will can give 2:1 magnification at closest point though this then needs a ring flash to get enough light on the subject. Here a selection of 'eyes' and also some very small plant bugs (insect less than 3mm and uncropped so approaching 1:1 magnification) 

CRUFC beat Plymouth Albion 34-28

Cambridge held onto their lead through the match though at one stage only a point separated the teams. I am very out of practice for sports photography so was pleased to get any photos sharp! The second image is my favourite - reminds me of the Mix-up game we had as children where you could combine random head, bodies, legs etc.

Lackford wide-angle Insects

The only insects that we photographed other than dragonflies at Lackford Lakes were very small insects in a patch of fleabane. No doubt if we had stopped and closely studied other areas, there would have been more small insects and spiders. These are taken with 23mm fixed lens on Fuji X100V with Raynox closeup lens - a lighting system would have been useful as the aperture used was too wide to get adequate depth of field so close.

Action at Lackford Lakes

A very enjoyable day at Lackford Lakes with CCC Nature Group. I concentrated on two 'projects': macro with wide angle lens (to follow!) and action shots of birds and insects. The Dragonflies and the Hummingbird Hawkmoth were taken at 1/4000th except the first image, at 1/1000th - surprised that there is little difference in wing movement (the Darter was on electronic shutter and shows the bend in the wing). The Migrant Hawkers were hovering for quite extended periods in the strong breeze! The bird were at 1/2000th - I do like the levitating Nuthatch. The Hummingbird Hawkmoth was quite worn around the tail area but was still very manoeuvrable. The eyes are wonderful - I am on an insect vision project at the moment so very useful captures.

Multiexposure Experiments

Multiexposure in the camera (here Fuji X100V) is a popular subject in requests for lectures or workshops so I regularly try to renew my acquaintance with all the various factors that contribute to the final image. These were taken on a walk from Coton to Cambridge via the West Cambridge development. My favourites are the Life is Beautiful in Monochrome or colour (glad they corrected the spelling!) - even on the greyest day there is a small escape route through an opening somewhere. 

I have used three of the four blending modes - Dark 1-5. Light 9 and 10 and Average 6-8. I didn't produce an image with Additive that I liked. You can also change the film simulation between exposure as in image 10 where a B/w and Sepia mode are used for the two exposures. As in previous posts, it is also possible to change the colour temperature, aperture, exposure compensation and shutterspeed between exposures with the Fuji as these are on dials or Quick button.