how do u approach animals/insects/reptiles with stealth?


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yeppie99

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been seeing all your lizard/dragonfly/bird/etc shots and when i try they'll run away before i'm even near. how do u guys do it?
 

err...for bird usually we use high zoom, but for instect like dragonfly, coz this one is taken for macro shoot it's mean very closed to hte object. What i do is just go slowly to the insect, but if they fly away, just wait for a while coz they may return to the same spot.

for more macro insect shoot u better ask megaweb for training his "JEDI" to u.

-Andre
 

Next time paint yourself the same color as the insect, then no problem:D
 

of course you need to know their behaviour well

reptiles
---------
1. lizard - will not come back


Insects
---------
1. dragonfly - will come back
2. damselfly - small one easy to take .. big one is more shy
3. fly - will not come back
4. bee - 1 of the most difficult insect to take as it seldom keep still
5. butterfly - 1 of the most difficult insect to take as it always fly away when you go near it
 

Originally posted by megaweb
of course you need to know their behaviour well

reptiles
---------
1. lizard - will not come back


Insects
---------
1. dragonfly - will come back
2. damselfly - small one easy to take .. big one is more shy
3. fly - will not come back
4. bee - 1 of the most difficult insect to take as it seldom keep still
5. butterfly - 1 of the most difficult insect to take as it always fly away when you go near it

thanx for this info! but ultimately, like u said, butterfly/bee will not sit still, so how do u approach them? not to mention sticking your camera a few cm away from it....
 

Here's something that I do, which comes in especially useful if you're shooting digital as each shot doesn't cost you extra.

Generally, you can feel the distance when the subject starts to get uncomfortable. Stay out of that range first and take a shot, then take a shot each step you go closer to the subject. This way, by the time it goes away you have a few safe shots to keep.

If by some luck the subject doesn't move at all, you can do a super macro shot! (Otherwise, the subject may be probably dead, like my 'amazing' grasshopper shot) :)
 

Originally posted by willyfoo

If by some luck the subject doesn't move at all, you can do a super macro shot! (Otherwise, the subject may be probably dead, like my 'amazing' grasshopper shot) :)

i remember once i was taking some super macro shot of a pair of mating butterfly at BG.

i was using megaweb's B300 + 250D, so i forgotten that the camera is now "very long" with the TC and close up lens on

i never know i go so near to the butterfly until the B-300 touches them (oh..sorry megaweb, i hope that didn't scratch your TC)

ok..back to topic...i found that insects are more inactive very very early in the morning...as the temperature get warmer, they starts to fly around easily...can megaweb confirm this too?

i agree that bees & butterfly are the most difficult to take....for bees, what i do is the aim at one nice and big flower.....half-press the shutter or you use manual focus and wait there for the bees to arrive. then snipe it when the bee is in the center...u only have one chance u know...unless u are using DSLR and use continous mode?

this is what i got with this method
bee-flower.jpg
 

Originally posted by kamwai


i remember once i was taking some super macro shot of a pair of mating butterfly at BG.

i was using megaweb's B300 + 250D, so i forgotten that the camera is now "very long" with the TC and close up lens on

i never know i go so near to the butterfly until the B-300 touches them (oh..sorry megaweb, i hope that didn't scratch your TC)

ok..back to topic...i found that insects are more inactive very very early in the morning...as the temperature get warmer, they starts to fly around easily...can megaweb confirm this too?

i agree that bees & butterfly are the most difficult to take....for bees, what i do is the aim at one nice and big flower.....half-press the shutter or you use manual focus and wait there for the bees to arrive. then snipe it when the bee is in the center...u only have one chance u know...unless u are using DSLR and use continous mode?

this is what i got with this method

Chey....
I tot you don your snipper gear and then wait there for the "victim" to come.......
 

Originally posted by Bluestrike

Chey....
I tot you don your snipper gear and then wait there for the "victim" to come.......

u wanna try? i dunno if you will scare all the animals away or not
 

Originally posted by kamwai

ok..back to topic...i found that insects are more inactive very very early in the morning...as the temperature get warmer, they starts to fly around easily...can megaweb confirm this too?

yes I can confirm most of the insects are inactive in the morning ...


Originally posted by yeppie99

thanx for this info! but ultimately, like u said, butterfly/bee will not sit still, so how do u approach them? not to mention sticking your camera a few cm away from it....
for bee , I find that it is depend on the type of flowers .. sometimes I find that bee do stay a bit longer (4 sec) collecting honey from flower and also sometimes not ... so you need to train to take bee within 4 sec interval ...

for butterfly , you can only take it in the zoo .. wild butterfly is much more difficult to go near ...
 

Originally posted by willyfoo
Here's something that I do, which comes in especially useful if you're shooting digital as each shot doesn't cost you extra.

Generally, you can feel the distance when the subject starts to get uncomfortable. Stay out of that range first and take a shot, then take a shot each step you go closer to the subject. This way, by the time it goes away you have a few safe shots to keep.

If by some luck the subject doesn't move at all, you can do a super macro shot! (Otherwise, the subject may be probably dead, like my 'amazing' grasshopper shot) :)

I did the same thing :embrass:
 

Insects are cold blooded so they are less active when it's cool such as in the very early morning.

I normally shoot them with bellows and other fun things so having them in a semi topor is essential.

I find the slowly slowly approach coupled with lots of patience and time works very well.

Bees will come back to a flower if you wait long enough :)
 

Originally posted by megaweb


for bee , I find that it is depend on the type of flowers .. sometimes I find that bee do stay a bit longer (4 sec) collecting honey from flower and also sometimes not ... so you need to train to take bee within 4 sec interval ...

but the camera focus time + shutter lag + your reaction time can be more than 4 seconds already...

Originally posted by Ian

Bees will come back to a flower if you wait long enough

and sometimes i wait until my DC auto shut off still no bees land on the flower
 

Originally posted by kamwai


but the camera focus time + shutter lag + your reaction time can be more than 4 seconds already...
You got no time to focus ... you need to move ur dc to focus the object .... (know ur min. distance well)


Originally posted by kamwai

and sometimes i wait until my DC auto shut off still no bees land on the flower
you have to find a place where there are some bees .. not only 1 or 2 ... your dc cannot go too close to the flower.
 

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