Macro at Botanical Garden with Sgt. Pepper

[arthuryeo]

Special thanks to Sgt. Pepper for his guidance.









Camera shake - my fault.

[kjmedora]

I have a problem with dragonflies in my garden.. they never keep still in one place.. were yours just sitting there posing for photos or must you stay in one spot and wait...??

[Madcat II]

Hi Art,

I like the Damselfly best... good macros!!

[E-Lim]

Last 1 is very sharp! What is the 2nd one?

[Falcon]

I like the composition of the first shot. The damselfly shots are great as well in term of sharpness and colors. I must also go take lesson fr sgt pepper liao.

[arthuryeo]

Originally Posted by kjmedora I have a problem with dragonflies in my garden.. they never keep still in one place.. were yours just sitting there posing for photos or must you stay in one spot and wait...??

That's nice. You can practice in your garden. Dragon files have a habbit of flying off and then return back to the same spot. The best time to take is very early in morning e.g. 7am when the dew on the dragon files' body and wings are not dried up yet. So they can't fly till they are dry. As the sunlights shimmers off the dew, you can have a very nice photo.

[arthuryeo]

Originally Posted by Madcat II Hi Art, I like the Damselfly best... good macros!!

Thanks. I am still a newbie. This morning session with Sgt. P was really very helpful. You can see improvement already.

[Wryer]

Good try dude! Good sharpness on those damsels.

Pic 5 is potentially a great piece of work, in terms of composition! What a pity..

Keep shooting!

[arthuryeo]

Originally Posted by Wryer Good try dude! Good sharpness on those damsels. Pic 5 is potentially a great piece of work, in terms of composition! What a pity.. Keep shooting!

Yeap. Pic 5 is a pity. On the camera's LCD, the picture look sharp enough so did not try to shoot again with higher shutter speed. I find it very difficult to get both damseflies sharp above water and keeping the reflection sharp at the same time. If i remember correctly, I had focus on the reflection for this shot. Looking back, it would be better to focus on them instead and not worry about the reflection.

[Wryer]

Originally Posted by arthuryeo Yeap. Pic 5 is a pity. On the camera's LCD, the picture look sharp enough so did not try to shoot again with higher shutter speed. I find it very difficult to get both damseflies sharp above water and keeping the reflection sharp at the same time. If i remember correctly, I had focus on the reflection for this shot. Looking back, it would be better to focus on them instead and not worry about the reflection.

Yeah, can imagine how difficult it is. The actual damselfly is perpendicular to the 'reflected damselfly'. I have no idea how to choose a focal plane. Can any member suggest any method? For me, i guess the best method would be to focus on the actual damselfly as Helmetbox have already pointed out.

Nonetheless, great thinking!

[swimcraze]

Great shots! care to share what kind of lens you used??????

[waikhong]

Originally Posted by arthuryeo That's nice. You can practice in your garden. Dragon files have a habbit of flying off and then return back to the same spot. The best time to take is very early in morning e.g. 7am when the dew on the dragon files' body and wings are not dried up yet. So they can't fly till they are dry. As the sunlights shimmers off the dew, you can have a very nice photo.

Looks like you have understand their behaviour in order to capture their best shots. Good try. Personally I like the last 2nd shot, clean background to bring up the subject. Concentrate on the background. The first 2 shots looks distracting due to the twig and leaf behind.

Good work

[BigFoot]

i like the 3rd shot most.....with the yellow flower......very nice contrast

[arthuryeo]

Originally Posted by swimcraze Great shots! care to share what kind of lens you used??????

Pictures are taken with Sigma 180mm Macro. The last 2 pics are taken with EF25 extension tube added.

[arthuryeo]

Originally Posted by waikhong Looks like you have understand their behaviour in order to capture their best shots. Good try. Personally I like the last 2nd shot, clean background to bring up the subject. Concentrate on the background. The first 2 shots looks distracting due to the twig and leaf behind. Good work

Thanks. The dragon fly in the first picture did not return to the same place after we tried to move some of the background. Getting a clean background is always a challenge.

[Kei]

Lovely shot of the damselfly closeup

Keep it up!

[Sgt. Pepper]

Arthur, It was really fun shooting with you this morning. I can see that you've improved a lot esp on your handholding technique and capturing nice background.
4, 5 and 6 shots are really nice, sharpness is there.
Keep shooting!

[arthuryeo]

Originally Posted by Sgt. Pepper Arthur, It was really fun shooting with you this morning. I can see that you've improved a lot esp on your handholding technique and capturing nice background. 4, 5 and 6 shots are really nice, sharpness is there. Keep shooting!

Could not have done it without your help and guidance.
I did not quite grasp it till the end of the shoot at the small pond where we meet Chee Wai. Also, i should use the tripod. I think i will bring my monopod on the next outing as it would be useful for those ackward angles. Cheers.

[majere2sg]

Nice.. were you guys shooting near the entrance in the morning (around 10am) ?

[kvp11]

Waaaahhh.. nice lehh.. can anyone tell me what lens to use if I want to try to take tis kind of shots..?