Vinod Kulkarni  

Up-close by Vinod Kulkarni

May 2020 - Up-close

About the Image(s)

I have been shooting macro with a reverse lens and as many may know, its a hardwork, especially if we are trying to shoot moving subjects. I have been shooting these bugs for a while now but never had an opportunity to get a head-to-head shot. I was quite excited when I was shooting and when I saw the image in my monitor, I noticed a small ant which was hunted by this bug. It was like an icing on the cake as I was able to get these two subjects together and there is a good story to it now, instead of just a portrait of the bug.

I used my kid lens 18-55mm with a reverse lens on my 7D Mark II body and shot at 1/125 & ISO 100. Though it does not give aperture, I guess I was shooting at around f8. Having a proper macro lens would have been ideal as I could have adjusted my settings to get more things in focus, which is not possible with the reverse lens.

This round’s discussion is now closed!
5 comments posted

Larry Treadwell   Larry Treadwell
(Groups 36 & 67)
Strange, very strange!

Thanks for the close up view of your world. Not sure I want to visit,but it is an interesting view.

This image certainly grabs the eye. You do not provide an fstop, wish I knew what it was. I would have liked just a tad more DOF to sharpen the face up --I think it would have made the subject a bit more interesting. But this does have drama.   Posted: 05/19/2020 11:37:16
Charles Ginsburgh   Charles Ginsburgh
(Group 63)
This image has a real "up close and personal" feel to it, and kudos for making that attempt. Here we are drawn to the eyes and forehead, and here they are quite sharp. The next place my eye goes to though, are the feet, and I tend not to dwell on the head, which detracts from your "up close and personal" (or perhaps "in your face") intent. I think that to be most effective, more of the face and mouth parts should be in focus and less of the feet. I realize that this is easier said than done, but that is what may be required to be more compelling. Remember, that second to tonal attributes (bright and dark areas) our eye is next drawn to in focus sharp areas of an image.   Posted: 05/19/2020 14:48:52
 
Of all the macro I have shot, this is one subject I have not, nor will seek out. I applaud you for your efforts and your lack of being squeamish. Snakes I will make an attempt, but this? no..

Therefore, my comments will be short. The eyes of the insect are quite sharp and he (she?) is looking straight at you which I would imagine was quite exciting. As mentioned above, having the face and feet in focus would only increase the drama of something like this coming straight for you.   Posted: 05/22/2020 20:42:22
Agree with you all and thanks for your candid feedback. I need to work through focus stacking, which I recently started, so I will be able to share one of those image next month.

The ideal image would have been to get the ant, the bugs leg and nose also in focus! I feel I missed an opportunity but I am sure I will keep this in mind when I shot macro next time.   Posted: 05/23/2020 02:20:56
 
Ha ! Ha! It does not look like the ladies like to keep you company but I shall ! ! !
Insect photography was my favorite until I got a water drop machine.
Do you have a telephoto lens ? My favorite is a 18 to 200 mm zoom ( with an extension tube ) for bees etc. Even though I have macro lenses the telephoto is still my go to lens for insects because of the ability to adjust the focal length and to zoom onto the bugs. I can even get flying bees with them.
Some telephoto will zoom close enough but some will not...worth trying out. For butterfly just the telephoto is good enough.
Great focus on the eyes and correct focal plane ! Keep up the good work.   Posted: 05/23/2020 13:18:17