Dining duo

These came along just after the drone fly.

Sigma SD14 dslr
Sigma 50 EX macro lens
Sigma ring flash
Hand held
F18
1/200s
ISO50
Manual focus
RAW adjustment in
SPP3.5
Cropped in PS Elements 5
Framed with Xara Xtreme Pro 5

Not much wrong with this one except it looks too flashed for my taste.
I'm no lover of flash in any shots, and if it is being used I prefer it to be like bass guitar in a band, there but hard to tell unless I concentrate.

that looks a DOF challenge if ever I saw one but both look nice and sharp at f18. The black background flash effect will always divide opinion but I'd say it's your hallmark David so stick with it.

Matt

Thanks chaps for commenting. You can please some of the people all of...... .

As you know, the black BG is due to the rapid light fall off with using a ring flash, which allows me to use small apertures to increase DOF with a reasonable shutter speed, as the camera is hand held. Some people don't like black BGs but I think they are great. It is the price you pay for capturing detail with flash and not being able to use intricate lighting set ups which are not always practical or desirable.

Thanks Matt I will.

When using my MPE-65 macro lens I also light my images entirely by flash. Sometimes I like the black background but sometimes I manage to avoid it by cunningly holding a leaf or something just behind the insect. An example would be my recent 'Protecting the flock' ant image. The difference is that I'm working at higher magnifications than you so a small insect is typically filling the frame which means a small leaf will cover the background. Also, my working distance is less so I often manage to hold the leaf behind the insect and rest the lens on that same hand. I don't think this would be possible working below 1x magnification.



Anyway, I'm telling you things you already know.

Matt

Thanks for that Matt. Photography is an on going learning process and it is good to find out how the experts achieve the images they do. I would love to use a lens like your MPE-65 on my Sigma SD14 but I know of none that would fit. Bellows are an option but again I know of none that are suitable. The price I pay for being a Sigma/Foveon devotee. but well worth it IMHO

Would strategically placed, cheap, low powered, slave flashes be an answer?

yes, slave flashes can also work well but very much reduce your flexibility. But if you're trying to photograph a particular perch or thistle head then you could set these up quite well I think. Not something I've ever tried I must admit.

It's a shame there is no equivalent lens to the MPE-65 available in other mounts. However, I know that a number of keen macro photographers who don't use Canons use a Raynox DCR 150 clip on close-up lens on the front of their standard macro lenses. These significantly increase magnification, are relatively cheap (they used to be about £30), easy to put on and take off and are pretty good in terms of image quality. Worth looking into maybe. I've a feeling they're difficult to get in the UK and you might need to look on Ebay or order from the US.

Matt

Doh Thanks Matt, I've got a Raynox DCR 250 super macro conversion lens for my camcorder
http://raynox.co.jp/english/dcr/dcr250/indexdcr250eg.htm
bought two or three years ago but I had forgotten about it. I will give it a try. Cheers.

that's the slightly stronger version, I use to have both and used them on a bridge camera a few years ago. Have fun!

Matt

How do you get them??? what ever the nits,it's another cracking shot that take's us into their world when we view this image,well done