Insects in Flight

Ok. I have attempted to expand my portfolio and tried my hand at insects in flight! Apart from more skill, a better camera and a macro lens. I would be appreciative of improvement comments please or should I stick to less fast moving objects?

I might be wrong so please get a confirmation from the ones whose portfolio when I look at I go all and start banging my head on the walls and kicking all the pots and pans in the kitchen but seems like you just described literally all that there is to it. Obviously "SKILL" incorporates knowing how to get the settings appropriate for each situation, type of subject etc.

Seems like your accounting background is going to come very handy here , nothing will escape your grasp, and with insects you are bound to be pretty good.

Has that macro lens materialised already? Waiting to see some bubbles

Thanks Amin,

No, no macro lens yet! Taken handheld with a Pentax 75-300mm lens, on Shutter Priority 1/4000 F5.8 -0.5 ISO 800, whatever all that means!

Actually, once treated to a bit of processing its not half bad.
Just rather on the small size.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v188/Sockpuppetuk/3558579533_d6b86d5931_m.jpg[/IMG]

PentaxBabe, as you can see you have got it nailed. Mike showed how to post process and it will be quite an improvement.

Upload the bigger version please, let's all see that bumblebee in full action

I will do but think you will be disappointed. I will do it later as I am now on my old computer and it will take an age to do it using this thing.
Mike, did you lighten the image and sharpen it?

Thanks

J

Jeanette,

The composition of your image is just about perfect. I can't see enough detail from the small image but may I voice my observations based on your EXIF info.

1: There's no hard and fast rule about what aperture to use except that f5.8 will produce a narrow depth of field (DOF). My preference for this type of shot would be as narrow an aperture as I could get away with and keep the background nicely out of focus. I tend to use f11, f16, and f22 mostly which would show more of the subject in focus.

2:You seem to have EV comp. set to -0.5 and it's quite well documented that Pentex DSLR's tend towards underexposure already. If any EV comp. is needed it's likely to be +ve, not -ve.

3:This image looks as if it was shot in good light so maybe ISO 800 was a bit too fast. If you can get the effect you are after with a lower ISO, I would use it as the image will need less noise processing afterwards.

4:Adjusting all those variables as I have suggested will lower your max available shutter speed but I think you would have been just as pleased with the result if it had been taken at 1/500th sec.

These are my observations, they are not criticisms. Well done, keep 'em coming, we'll turn you into a macro freak yet .

I have attached the original and one I got Corel to Fix. I was using TV as I wanted to get the wings! I get the macro lens tomorrow so if it is as nice a day as today I will have another go with that!







Macro freak - I just want to put my Nikon now ex-colleague in his place
And take pictures people like
Maybe one day I may even manage to sell one

Well you've made a good start but your images as posted are very small. You need to figure out how to size them to 800 x 600 pixels and then post the link.

Is this any better?




It wassomething to do with the settings on Flickr!

Based on my limited experience and still being disastrous at PP this is the best I could come up with.
There is quite a lot of noise in my view in the image

Sorry Jeanette that we are trying to improve your photo constantly, probable the third one will be even better and I've no idea how they have done it.

[IMG]http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk244/Anvh/3559150663_5efb02a5cf_bxxx.jpg[/IMG]

Amin I believe you run a noise reduction software over it what did you used?

Well From a noobs point of view this looks nice. Keep up the good work

Stefan
I ran Ninja over it. But isolated the bee in the ninja so it would leave it out when reducing noise from the image. Then messed up a little with curves then a bit of highlight adjustments. Then ran the pen around the bee to select it and then sharpen as I didn't want to get the noise in the sorrounding image again.

Sometimes I go through a second time with Ninja again after sharpening the whole image, and on the second time I isolate the main parts of the image that I want to leave it sharpened.
So basically I run first time with Ninja over all the image, then after a few tweaks ending with sharpening the image, and then run Ninja again but this time isolating the parts to leave out.

Your image came out pretty nicely, how did you manage to control the noise?

Hi Amin and Stefan,

Thank you both for the improvements. They have certainly helped. I tried noise reduction in Corel and it didn't seem to make that much difference. You both have a lot more knowledge and skill than I do when it comes to post processing. I need more practise! I will start with noise reduction and sharpening and then take it from there.

Watch tis space hopefully!

Jeanette