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Sunny Texas Giant
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Sunny Texas Giant

by Howard Cheek

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted July 8, 2014148 views8 comments
I managed to find a zinnia stand alone, with what's left of our Lazy Susan's for BG. Texas Giant Swallowtail.
F/11, 1/1600th, ISO 800, 1D M3, 300mm f/2.8 + 1.4x & 580EX flash with a soft top @ + 2/3 power & -1 exposure bias. Monopod for support. 11:17am, clear & sunny.
The higher S-speed/ISO is to compensate for the constant fluttering of this species..

Comments

8 comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on July 8, 2014 at 10:37 AM
Howard, this is a fine look at this bf with excellent details in the insect and flower and a nicely soft, complementary background. I'm impressed with your skilled use of flash technology.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on July 8, 2014 at 1:51 PM
Great to have sharp wings. Nice perspective and BG.
Well done!
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on July 8, 2014 at 9:17 PM
Let's see, Howard. Subject: magnificent. Floral perch: very pretty. Subject detail: super good. BG: soft, beautiful and complementary for the subject. Comp: excellent. Light: a bit harsh but very well controlled. Final verdict: two big thumbs up. Wish it were mine. :toast: :toast:
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Ian Wolfenden on July 9, 2014 at 7:58 AM
Most excellent, Howard !! Delightful pose, lovely bg and perfect lighting. If I have a nit it might be to have set the flower stem just a touch more off centre but that is nit picking par excellence. Very beautiful image, expertly crafted.
Registered on May 18, 2007, 1108 Posts, 7647 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on July 9, 2014 at 8:37 PM
Howard:

Congrat on this image - simply superb to get this fluttering giant frozen and sharp :toast: :toast: :toast:

I am just learning about using flash in HH macro photog and looking at various options and softbox etc so pardon my ignorance. Your rig seems a little too heavy for me to HH with that massive lens and flash so I guess it makes sense to use a monopod. Also how do you sync your flash at 1/1600 (with my D600, I can only use 1/250 max with the flash)?
Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments
Comment posted by Albert Darmo on July 9, 2014 at 10:49 PM
Hi Howard :wavey: Geez!! Scott said it all :toast: :toast:


Albert Darmo
Canada
Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments
Comment posted by Howard Cheek on July 10, 2014 at 9:56 AM
Hi Gary & thank you for commenting.
You have a flash unit with High-Speed sync capability. Maximum sync speeds are usually around 1/60 second for entry-level cameras, up to 1/250 second for high-end cameras as you know.. I've always just set the 580 EX flash mode to HS Sync when I shoot over 1/300th second, using camera first curtain sync most all the time. Flashes with high-speed sync capabilities actually fire the flash hundreds or thousands of times per second. So it's more like a strobe when you go over the 1/300th SS I guess Gary.. In other words, the freezing of the movement depends more on the S-speed over 1/300th on my cam. And you would need to use a multiple flash set-up like Keith does, to freeze/stop movement at slower S-speeds, using flash.
I provided an Amazon link below to the little Fotodiox foldable soft top I use, it's only about $15.00
http://www.amazon.ca/Fotodiox-Speedlight-Speedlite-600EX-RT-Panasonic/dp/B003Y30334

Whoomp, there it is! :wink:
Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments
Comment posted by Yun Gao on July 12, 2014 at 12:09 PM
Howard, Excellent capture of a tough subject. Very, very nice! :jump:
Registered on September 11, 2012, 267 Posts, 1621 Comments