# photography~growing your eye challenges #5~ Going Buggy!



## redtailgal (Apr 13, 2012)

You'll have to look hard for this one.

Find a bug, with a nice background.  Get the bug as large as you can in your picture, and make sure that the bug is in focus. (Tip: use the macro feature on your camera if you have it).  Feel free to stage a shot if you like.  I once took a shot of a large wolf spider driving a tonka truck for a little boy.  It was cute.  Be creative!

A friend of mine took a pic of a spider on a rose.  He used a flashlight to "spotlight" the spider (filtering the light with a sheet of tissue paper).  He took she shot later in the evening to get the dark background. 

This pic sold, framed as an 11 x 14, for around $100.  You can see the pic here 

The best time to photograph bugs is in the morning when it's still a little chilly, they will be still longer and more tolerant of your presence.  Also, you can take a small spray bottle and mist a spider web or flower to give it that "wet with dew" look.  Try different angles......angle plays a HUGE role in photographing bugs.

Work hard on this one, and try to make your bug a pretty pic!

Also, How many of you use a website to advertise your farm?  We may see if we can work on getting some good webshots for advertising, if there is any interest.


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## HankTheTank (Apr 15, 2012)

Having trouble with this one...I can't find any bugs, and the ones I actually DO find are the ones who want to drink my blood


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## redtailgal (Apr 15, 2012)

lol, well take a pic of a blood sucker!

Flip over rocks, look inside of some flowers.......have you got bees out yet?  You farm so surely there is a fly somewhere.

Keep trying, you'll find one.  This challenge will be here when you are ready.


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## 20kidsonhill (Apr 16, 2012)

Here are my attempts: I had my zoom lens on, which I realize wasn't the best choice, but I was out taking pictures of the goats when I came across this butterfly. On April 15th. that is crazy early for butterflies.


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## crazyland (Apr 16, 2012)

Here is some of the many dragonflies we have around here. 
















A butterfly on a butterfly bush. Not sure which I like better.











Spider eating another spider.






I think that taking pictures of insects is easy. Way to many of them in the country! I just really want a better lense for my camera.


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## redtailgal (Apr 16, 2012)

20kids:

We arent having butterflies here yet, I am jealous!

You are right, a different lens would have given you a crisper image, but, never miss a shot because you feel that you have the wrong lens.  They turned out just fine with the lens you used.

I like the middle shot, because it included the whole bloom on the lilac and because that shape (of the bloom) adds so much visual interest to the pic.  I also like the way that butterfly is all spread out showing all the color.

The first shot.......the butterfly flying to the flower.  Thats a nice catch just like it is, but if you would have been able to have your other lens and get a sharper image, you could crop out and get a close up shot that showed the whole butterfly and a portion of the bloom........that would be a pic that would make alot of pros jealous, lol.


All of you, feel free to post as many buggy shots as you want.

Nice!


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## redtailgal (Apr 16, 2012)

Crazyland:

These are nice!

The first image is very sharp.  Dragon flies are hardly ever still, so the blurriness of the wings is pretty normal.  Among the bug photographers, to get a dragonfly from this angle with the wings in focus is a sought after and difficult pic to attain.  

The second image is my favorite.  From the metadata of the pic, I saw that you are using a panasonic.  Is it a point and shoot or a SLR?  The reason that I am asking, is that your background is very nice here.  The depth of field gives that wonderful background.  But, the depth of field is just a tiny bit too narrow, causing the tips of the wings to soften out a little.  If you have a slr type camera, you can adjust your F-stop slightly, to keep that background and bring those wingtips into focus.  Let me know, if you want further instruction on this (you may already know, lol)
Anyway, love this pic, wonderful!  

THe second pic of the dragonfly: same comments as above.

Your butterflies are nice and focus well, and that is a pretty cool spider!  I am partial to spider pics, lol.

Another thing that you may consider........see if you can check to see what metering mode you are in.  I think you are either in pattern mode, or multi mode.  Try to switch over to spot metering, and see if you get a crisper image. (this will only work if you are using the manual settings and not the preprogramed modes)


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## daisychick (Apr 16, 2012)

I love taking pictures of bugs!!!   

The moth and the bee are from this week.  The dragonfly and butterfly are from last summer, but I wanted to share them.  

Moth




Bee




Butterfly




Dragonfly


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## 20kidsonhill (Apr 16, 2012)

Picture of the bee is amazing, Daisychick


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## redtailgal (Apr 16, 2012)

I agree, the Bee is wonderful!  Bees are kindof hard sometimes.  If you get a chance to shoot another bee, try to lower your angle and get the legs and underbelly (say at a 45 degree angle to the butterfly).  This will help with the crispness and at tons of visual interest.  Esp if you are fortunate enough to catch one with pollen on the legs..the pollen heavy legs makes for a FABULOUS shot, if you can get it.

I love the butterfly!  Perfectly shot, wonderful angle, crisp and almost 3D.  That one belongs on a greeting card!


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## crazyland (Apr 16, 2012)

Thanks red. I really should play with the other settings. 
I have a cannon rebel now. The Panasonic was stolen.


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## Ownedby3alpacas (Apr 17, 2012)

i haven't done any of the other challenges...i'll try to go back and do them sometime.

I stalked this poor bumble bee around for quite awhile...


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## jessica_1285 (Apr 17, 2012)

These are all so great!  My fav is Daisychick's butterfly


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## redtailgal (Apr 17, 2012)

Nice job 3alpacas.  Bumblebees are tough, they just dont cooperate at ALL, lol.

I do hope that you'll participate in the other challenges.


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## Lothiriel (May 31, 2012)

Is it too late for this one? Probably not, since it's not a contest.... so I'll post a few of my buggy photos.


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## redtailgal (Jun 1, 2012)

nope...the challenges dont close.

Nice job.......The bee is my favorite.


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## crazyland (Jun 1, 2012)

Ewww FLY!!!! *smack*smack*smack* 

Those are awesome shots.


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## Lothiriel (Jun 1, 2012)

redtailgal said:
			
		

> nope...the challenges dont close.
> 
> Nice job.......The bee is my favorite.


Ok good. 
Thanks! Like 3alpacas, I followed that bee around for ages, from one group of chives to another, and so on. I am very pleased with that one too.



			
				crazyland said:
			
		

> Ewww FLY!!!! *smack*smack*smack*
> 
> Those are awesome shots.


Haha... He got away though.  Thanks!


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## crazyland (Jun 2, 2012)

While I was out today I went back to trying to work on those dragonflies... Man are they hard! This is what I have narrowed it down to.
Also I went tracking an ant.... came across a ladybug too. 





















I this monocrome shot worked out well for the dragonfly.


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## WildRoseBeef (Jun 3, 2012)

I got a few pictures of a waterstrider and a lady bug I found a few weeks back that I completely forgot to post on here.  Here they are:


















Waterstrider:


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## redtailgal (Jun 3, 2012)

Waterstriders are just COOL bugs, lol


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## secuono (Jun 3, 2012)

I have no current bug pics, all these are from years ago.


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## redtailgal (Jun 3, 2012)

The snail pic is really cool!


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## elevan (Jun 5, 2012)




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## Lothiriel (Jun 7, 2012)




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## elevan (Jun 7, 2012)




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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Jun 21, 2012)

In WA we had a BUNCH of giant swallow butterflies, sadly in AK we have no butterflies yet  

What if the only bugs you CAN find, are making baby bugs?


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## Justin C.Terrazas (Sep 26, 2012)

Hey guys, I found this cool site about wedding photography in Orleans region and I thought you might like to check it out: 

_________________________________________________________________
I'm the Master Photographer.


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## AdamBorzy (Oct 8, 2012)

Hi Karin,

I like the photos of the gardener's friend - lady bug.


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## casportpony (Apr 25, 2017)

Wow, great pictures!


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## casportpony (Apr 25, 2017)

Here is a fly on an apple blossom, lol.


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