Help me getting better

[Nico C M]

Its such an easy subject.
A big beetle, easy to take inside and use light, but for some reason I cannot get it sharp.

Its a Black beetle, and for me it seems to use some sort of stealth technology.
Invisible for detecting agengies.

How can I improve on such a insect, lightning, exposure, filter or PP
Hope you can make me a bit wiser on this :smile:
Nico

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Enter custom name hereBeetle_05 06 13_4633_edited-1.jpg by Nicolaas C M, on Flickr

 

[kilofoxtrott]

My opinion:
The contrast between black bug and white background is to hard (wide?).
Don't take the bug inside. Take a picture in the natural surounding.

Regards from Germany
Klaus

 

[cbbr]

It looks like your shutter speed was too slow, but the EXIF is missing.

 

[defante]

Saw the EXIF on Flickr. I agree, 1/8 shutter speed is way too slow handheld.

 

[wizzard0003]

There could be many reasons why you have less than stellar results... As mentioned too slow
a shutter speed is definately one of them...

For a starting point, if it was me, I'd probably shoot in manual with flash... Use a small aperture
for large DOF... Set a shutter speed of 1/125 to 1/250... Then, using a heavy defuser, make a
series of shots starting with lowest flash setting then ramping it up one step at a time... Choose
the best results and then use that setting to take the rest of my shots...

If I couldn't get satisfactory results that way then I'd experiment with using a bounce card on the
flash head, tilting the head up at different angles, with and without the defuser, until I got something
satisfactory...

If not using flash and the shutter speed was slow I would definately use a tripod and timed or remote
release with mirror up (MUP)... Find the exposure that works best and then take the rest of my shots
with those setiings...

If you are planning to use a particular setup/backdrop for future subjects you can experiment
before hand with different objects of different colors with any different BG's you may want to
use... Black objects, white objects, colored objects, objects with shinny surfaces and dull surfaces...
Write down what lighting and settings worked best so in the future you have a good starting point
when you bring in a creature to shoot...

Others hopefully may have some different insights or tips for you as well... :smile:

PS:

f29 is also probably going to give you soft images... For macro on my D7k I start at f16 and
will go to f20 (ish) at the max... More than that and I start to loose too much sharpness... :wink:

 

[cbbr]

Saw the EXIF on Flickr. I agree, 1/8 shutter speed is way too slow handheld.

I see that now.

So the first problem is that you do not have anywhere near enough light. Shooting 1/8th at 210mm is pretty far into tripod territory, and that's only if the insect is being totally still.

The second problem is shooting too close at f29 - back up a little and open the lens up a little. The D3x will allow you to crop and the distance will give you more DOF. focus on your side of the center. This will also give you a higher SS.

 

[wizzard0003]

Listen to Chad, he's a master in this area...! :wink:

 

[SK Photo]

yes yes yes. tripod tripod tripod! great subject!


Nico , I absolutely love how you are pushing yourself.


and I agree on the environment statement. The main "subject" needs to play off something.

 

[SK Photo]

There could be many reasons why you have less than stellar results... As mentioned too slow
a shutter speed is definately one of them...

For a starting point, if it was me, I'd probably shoot in manual with flash... Use a small aperture
for large DOF... Set a shutter speed of 1/125 to 1/250... Then, using a heavy defuser, make a
series of shots starting with lowest flash setting then ramping it up one step at a time... Choose
the best results and then use that setting to take the rest of my shots...

If I couldn't get satisfactory results that way then I'd experiment with using a bounce card on the
flash head, tilting the head up at different angles, with and without the defuser, until I got something
satisfactory...

If not using flash and the shutter speed was slow I would definately use a tripod and timed or remote
release with mirror up (MUP)... Find the exposure that works best and then take the rest of my shots
with those setiings...

If you are planning to use a particular setup/backdrop for future subjects you can experiment
before hand with different objects of different colors with any different BG's you may want to
use... Black objects, white objects, colored objects, objects with shinny surfaces and dull surfaces...
Write down what lighting and settings worked best so in the future you have a good starting point
when you bring in a creature to shoot...

Others hopefully may have some different insights or tips for you as well... :smile:

PS:

f29 is also probably going to give you soft images... For macro on my D7k I start at f16 and
will go to f20 (ish) at the max... More than that and I start to loose too much sharpness... :wink:

all this^^

 

[Nico C M]

Hi All

Thank you all so much for your comments and suggestions.

First of all, I have tried different settings and speeds, I have tried different backgrounds and gone from 2.8 til 72

For some reason, the black shiny armour of this beetle is not alowing me to make a decent picture, and I did use additional light sources.

I have read and gone through all the settings as suggested, and still cannot find one that can tackle this particular creature, but one thing came through my mind, and that is to use a filter.

Something like using a gray 6 filter, and therewith diffusing the light deflecting from the beetle, I am sure there come other ones along of this kind, and I will try suggestions and maybe filters, to get a better result.

At the golfcourse I am playing (very badly) I have a ongoing exibition of life around the place and macro pictures are best liked, the beetle is not going on display as for now, but others will.

Sorry if I got back a bit late, but I got a splinter in my eye and had to get it removed this morning at the hospital, so could not use my eye til now ,o)

SK, William, Chad and all others, thank you so much for using your time, its much appreciated, and in my opinion its why I like NC. its a place where one can learn and ask for help, I hope to be here a long time and learn more about photografi, different styles and ways to look at pictures, at my age the best one can hope for is Progress.
Kind regards
Nico

 

[wizzard0003]

Keep at it, Nico... The more you do the more you learn and you will
develope your own style... :wink:

 

[cbbr]

From just a lighting perspective - you need a large (compared to the bug) source, well diffused and shoot with the camera from outside of the direct family of angles (any angle in which you see a reflection).

 

[Nico C M]

Keep at it, Nico... The more you do the more you learn and you will
develope your own style... :wink:

I like that William
To think that in this World, there is actually room to develop a different approach(style

You along with other persons have made me more confident :smile:
Nico

 

[Nico C M]

From just a lighting perspective - you need a large (compared to the bug) source, well diffused and shoot with the camera from outside of the direct family of angles (any angle in which you see a reflection).

Hi Chad
I am going to see if I can use grafite, with the use of light you referred to.
If it works I dont know, but I will try.
Thank you so much for using your time :smile:
Nico

 

[cbbr]

Good luck Nico - post up your results!