Damsels.

Ollie and I have been down the river again with the macro lens.The weather has been pretty dull again but as long as it is not too breezy it’s fine for insect photography.I like to use natural light,as opposed to flash,and so I’m often using shutter speeds of less than 1/30th sec and therefore it is essential for me to use a tripod,cable release and the mirror lock up facility on the camera.I have to be slow,careful and deliberate while I position the camera on the tripod close to the subject,line the camera lens up to get the whole subject as sharply focused as possible and then time the actual picture taking for when the plant and insect are as still as possible.If there is any sort of a breeze,or the insect is moving slightly,the actual picture taking can take a while.This is where a certain amount of patience is required,particularly on Ollies’ part,as he wants to be jumping about and exploring.But he’s a good boy and is getting better and better.

Of course you can spend lots of time setting up,waiting for a lull in the breeze,only to see your subject walk,jump or fly off at the critical time.But that’s nature photography for you and the next photo opportunity will be just around the corner.

Thanks for looking and please leave a comment if you have the time.Any ideas,improvements?Anything I could be doing differently?

Bye bye from me.And Bye bye from Ollie.