You are currently browsing the Insects category.
Last weekend we had a nice warm spell and I found it fascinating how some of the usual suspects just popped out of nowhere. Sometimes I really wonder where many of these insects go when the weather is bad – as when it is cold and wet it is nearly impossible to find many of these and once the weather turns good they are everywhere.
I found this ladybug on one of our outdoor chair covers. I didn’t feel this was the best place for it so I moved it to one of our rose bushes.
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 6 months ago at 1:51 pm. 1 comment
About two weeks ago, temperatures were only a little bit chilly on the weekend so I went out to see what I could find. I also went out to try to improve my compositions. It is my goal to not just take identification pictures of insects and other small creatures – but to give them personality and make pleasing shots to look at.
Most of the small critters were hard to find that day, but I did find some interesting things. This one I found rather cute and it looks almost like the worm is introducing himself!
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 6 months ago at 2:11 pm. Add a comment
Last weekend was a productive weekend for me, photography-wise. I wandered around my yard looking for interesting subjects and found several, without having to look very hard. This fly was very gracious to let me get several shots off.
I also learned a new trick. One thing to make sure to not do when photographing flies is to get in their light. I played around with this one to see how much it does truly matter. Sure enough, whenever I stood in its light, the fly took off. Therefore I approached from a direction such that my lens would not cast a shadow on the fly.
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 7 months ago at 1:40 pm. Add a comment
Every winter, approximately at this time, I notice that midges start collecting on our shed outside. My suspicion is that this is for mating, and that there is something about the shed that the midges like. Last weekend I decided to see what I could find outside and to no great surprise I found a few midges on our barn.
I didn’t bother photographing them for very long because there weren’t that many of them, I already have a number of photographs of midges, and there weren’t any midges in really great photographic position.
Nevertheless, that didn’t prevent several mysteries from cropping up.
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 7 months ago at 2:23 pm. 1 comment
After reading several books on macro photography, I have come to realize that there is a ‘right of passage’ for all macro photographers. Simply put, in order to become a macro photographer you must take a closeup shot of an own butterfly.
So, this weekend while at the Pacific Science Center, I decided that I should join the club.
There! Now I have officially joined the club! OK, maybe I could have put the ‘eye’ a bit to the right and exposed it a tad bit less, but nonetheless I have not posted my ‘obligatory’ shot so I am officially in the club!
Posted 1 year, 7 months ago at 1:19 pm. 1 comment
If you want to photograph insects, it is always a good idea to learn more about them. For that reason, I have tried to read a book on them whenever I read a photography book. For those who are curious what the life of an entomologist is truly like, this is the best book I have seen.
This is not a reference book, but is instead more of a collection of stories. Eisner goes through the major projects he has worked on during his career and how they came about various discoveries.
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 7 months ago at 1:55 pm. 1 comment
This weekend I took a brief opportunity to look at what I could find outside. The weather has been cold here and we recently got over a snowstorm, so I wasn’t too optimistic. In addition, it started raining soon after I got out so I didn’t have much time to take any pictures.
I did manage to find this tiny spider though on my kids’ slide.
This spider was incredibly tiny – requiring 5x magnification from my MP-E 65 to get this shot. After downloading the shot, I looked through some of my books to attempt to get an ID – but after some investigation I can 100% say I have no idea what type of spider this is.
When my wife looked at the picture, she picked out an obvious mystery. It only has six legs.
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 8 months ago at 2:02 pm. 4 comments
Very often as I follow the insects and other small creatures in my backyard, I come across a mystery. These aren’t truly mysteries, as I’m sure someone knows the answer, but in my research I am unable to find an answer as to why things are.
Take for example, this lacewing that I found recently in my backyard.
This lacewing appears to be dead. It has grown pale white and has some ’stuff’ on it. In cases like this, I do not know truly what has happened but I can comment on what I have observed. Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 9 months ago at 2:24 pm. 1 comment
While shooting some shots this weekend, I found two flies ‘getting to know’ each other. The following shots tell a little story. Please note that these images may be inappropriate for some maggots.
If anyone knows the species for these flies, I would appreciate an ID.
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 10 months ago at 4:38 am. 1 comment
This weekend one of my friends was nice enough to let me use his 40D to take pictures during several Halloween parties. Saturday and Sunday mornings, I decided to get a few macro pictures in, as the current estimates say I won’t have the 5D Mark II until the end of the month.
I took this shot of a very patient fly, though I was a bit heartbroken that it took off just after this and I might have been able to get the shot off. Still, I don’t think this one is so bad.
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 10 months ago at 2:16 pm. Add a comment