Insects in Flight ( You can blame deadal - Chris for this one )
 

A month or so back Chris made a comment about getting a knat in flight shot.

So being game for a laugh I thought I'd try my hand.

This is my best effort so far.

I stuck the camera in manual mode 1/2000 sec f4 ISO1600.
Manual focused on a swarm in the setting sunlight to get a good contrast.
When some appeared to be in focus I snapped a few shots.

So do we have any knat in flight experts who can offer some tips to improve ?

I was thinking maybe we can have a friendly competition to see who can come up with the best knat in flight shot ;)

Blimey Rob,

Nothing like setting a challenge. :eek:

I think this may be one for the warmer weather. I struggled to get a hoverfly last year with a 55 macro. Perhaps now I will try tubes and a longer lens.

As you used 1/2000 sec, I think this is a job for manual flash 1/16 power giving flash duration of around 1/10,000 sec.

Don

I am off into the garden and see what I can see.:D:D:D

Its wet here so nothing about at the moment.

Camera is weather sealed but flash in the rain :eek: :eek:

Don

On my way home tonight I had the 100mm marco attached. I thought I'd give Don's Flash idea a whirl with the pop-up.

Great one Rob I am still waiting to get a decent one, just as I get one focused its gone.

:) It's not as easy as it looks - That was the best of 2 shots but I am not going to wear the camera out trying.

Here is my effort shot with 30D 75-300+21mm. H speed sync flash
IS0 400 1/250s F9:D

The second one is a hoverfly 300D 75-300+21mm, ISO 100 1/2000 sec f 6.3

Got one, now beat this Rob He! He!:D 30D ISO 400 1/2500s f6.3 75-300+21mm.

And another.

Hay what a shot well done Christine:) I’m going to give it a try if I can only fiend sum gnat’s, when you won’t something you cannot find it if I was fishing I would be eaten alive
Hugh

Hugh the best time is in the evening thats when they usually come out. I went and stood underneath the conifer and waited, they soon found me.

nice one christine - set a new standard :rolleyes:

Awww, just give her the prize :) :) :)

Im gobsmacked tbh !!

Really well done Chistine. How you or Rob locked onto a knat is beyond me.

I had to be in today waiting for Kenko 1.4 and 2x to arrive. So having sn your post ..................... I must have spent a good 2 hours chasing small flies around the garden. Due to the wind none would hover in one place for longer than a micro second. So no pics I'm afraid. Perhaps I need to change my mind on the lens as I was trying to be flash with 105mm, 12mm tube and 2x converter to max the magnification :rolleyes: . Snag is dof is non existant with that lot, so unless they enter even the zone of soft focus you cannot see them in the viewfinder.

No hoverflys yet but when they arrive they will be a more tempting subject. Tricky, but I feel easier than a knat.

Cloud arrived at the same time the converters were delivered, but fingers crossed I may get a test on the moon later tonight.

Don

LOL!:D Don, at least you should be fit now. I just went into the shade of a conifer at dusk last night and there were about three flying in the same place, I focused on a tree trunk roughly the same distance away as the gnats and waited untill I saw them in the viewfinder and just snapped.

We have a Leylandii so I have just been out for a look. A few of something there, so got the camera and ................ they moved higher out of reach. :(

I think mine must be camera shy. :D :D

Don

Another one for the collection

Things I get blamed for! I could only compete on quantity rather than quality, only I have just gone and removed about 30 from a shot from High Raise along with my 2 blobs of sensor dust which I was almost becoming fond of but removed or shoved down below normal horizon level

well heres my effort, i took about 50 shots at least but he would not fly still! cropped and a tiny bit of sharpening with picassa

Nice one crazee horse. Last line of your sig quite appropriate on this forum. :) :p :rolleyes:

Don

Great shot crazy horse, I bet you go out and have another go.:D

Another practise shot :rolleyes:

Winding me up again Rob. :p I like how you call this ' Another practise shot.' :)

I am still going to start with something a bit larger, like a Hoverfly.

Don

My first attempt at hoverflys in flight. 2 shots from today combined onto a single frame. This was an attempt to get them as large as possible in the frame, so both were taken using 200mm lens onto 75mm of extension ( tubes and bellows ) Flash at full power was used on each giving a flash duration of 1/1050 sec. The dark background is primarilydown to mypositioning the hoverflys between myself and dark shadow to help me get them in the viewfinder.

The first try with a standard 105mm and 100mm of extension ( serious magnification ) failed as the point of focus was too close, and the hoverfly always kept moving back well out of focus.

I did manage a chance shot of a bluebottle with that though, and I'll put it in the ' macro on the cheap thread '.

Don

Don you could always start with some static ground shots and work your way up to high speed panning required ;) for flight

According to my book these are phantom midge the non biting kind. A side elevation and a detail shot showing the fancy head gear.

I did have one of the biting kind lined up in my sights but it took off before I fired the shutter. Guess it got fed up posing whilst I got setup.

Now that is impressive Rob. You have done well for what appears to be a really small subject. :cool:

As I am on m/f fixed focal I am still trying to work out the best option, magnification v lens to subject distance, for the flight shot.

Don

The ones with the fancy head gear are males.

Reviewing the day's images, I found this one (see attachment). I guess it was a bit camera shy, and I caught it as it scuttled off. If anyone knows what it is, please let on. Sadly it is slightly out of frame, but astonishingly it was lying in the place of focus (I focussed on the insect when resting on the flower).

its gnot a gnat agnyway :D

Neat shots! Could someone lend me a gnat. please?

You have quite enough of your own. An overwhelming memory of Canada is the number of flying thingies that ate people. You may call them different things, but you sure don't need any more.

True although the blackfly season is pretty much over now.

I think all you need is good luck when trying. As I do not like many members from the insect group (mostly I kill them as quickly as possible) so when taking pics of butterflies I managed full frame of some of them too. On this one I quite like the stronger blur at the ends of wings and the sharpnes of the body parts.

P.S. I only cannot figure out how to enclose the picture so I'll send it to the gallery.
Susan

Susan,

See the bit at the bottom of this post:
http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...hread.php?t=35

The key is the "Go Advanced" button at the bottom of the Quick Reply box, then scroll down and click on "Manage Attachments".

Duncan

Hoverfly & Honeybee
 

Thought I'll add a something to this thread. Although not a gnat - the hoverfly and the honeybee were my 2 first flying insects I managed to do with the Canon 400D.

I haven't tried with flash yet but luckily these guys hang around in quite bright light which helps. So sitting flat on the grass with the 70-300mm Sigma on macro I hammered away. These pics are the results of about 300-400 shots - determined to get at least one good shot of them in flight.

Comments and crit welcome.

Cheers

Marcell

Two great shots Marcell, the composition look good with the hoverflies just about to land. Flying insects are not the easiest to take but they are lots of fun.

Hi Marcell
Wonderful photography well done, I should be so lucky.

A merry exams and a happy new year to all
Hugh
http://hughsphotoshop.com/

Here is my ultimate macro shot, a male Common Darter in flight.

A brilliant shot you have even got the shadow.

Wow what a fantastic shot
Hugh
http://hughsphotoshop.com/