I've been blown away repeatedly by some of the macro shots on DPC, but one thing keeps puzzling me: how do you get 'em to stay still?
That said, I was lucky enough to have a butterfly land near me and sit still for 5 minutes. But I don't think I've ever seen wasps, bees, flies, etc. do that.
So is it just luck? Or are folks scooping them up and refrigerating them?
Or picking a certain time of day when they're sluggish?
Most of the bugs you see depicted so well in DPC are actually professionally-trained bug-models. There are several web sites devoted to selling and/or renting out these bugs to photographers. They respond to hand signals and are very easy to work with. They are kind of expensive, of course, but it's worth it if you get a ribbon.
I have used bugs from www.bug_be_still.com in the past, myself. Only trouble was, I forgot to return them by the deadline and when I DID get around to returning them they had already passed away. The "restocking" fee killed my budget for the month, so I don't shoot bugs anymore.
You can kill or stun by freezing or popping into a kill jar. Long time = kill. Short time = stun.
You can also kill by immersing in alcohol. This is good for keeping them soft. If you have a dry, crusty bug that you want to manipulate just drop it in alcohol until it softens up. Also good for keeping the stink down.
Most of the bugs you see depicted so well in DPC are actually professionally-trained bug-models. There are several web sites devoted to selling and/or renting out these bugs to photographers. They respond to hand signals and are very easy to work with. They are kind of expensive, of course, but it's worth it if you get a ribbon.
I have used bugs from www.bug_be_still.com in the past, myself. Only trouble was, I forgot to return them by the deadline and when I DID get around to returning them they had already passed away. The "restocking" fee killed my budget for the month, so I don't shoot bugs anymore.
i just follow them till they stop, then without making any noise, carefully approach. :)..
Love your recent ribbon winner (as well as all of your insect shots). Curious, though...that guy looks like he had stopped permanently. Am I wrong in assuming that he is deceased?
it's a little more difficult for point n shoot camera users due to the way those cameras focus. Autofocus is very slow up close and manual focus seems useless to me on those cameras (my wife has a powershot S3).
this is where digital slr's have an advantage in my opinion
You can kill or stun by freezing or popping into a kill jar. Long time = kill. Short time = stun.
You can also kill by immersing in alcohol. This is good for keeping them soft. If you have a dry, crusty bug that you want to manipulate just drop it in alcohol until it softens up. Also good for keeping the stink down.
What's a kill jar? I know what a killjoy is ...
And sheesh, can we let the dead ladybug picture er ... die? There's been ample smacking already. I mean, I don't want to kill them, but there's no need to go on and on about it again.
I've been blown away repeatedly by some of the macro shots on DPC, but one thing keeps puzzling me: how do you get 'em to stay still?
That said, I was lucky enough to have a butterfly land near me and sit still for 5 minutes. But I don't think I've ever seen wasps, bees, flies, etc. do that.
So is it just luck? Or are folks scooping them up and refrigerating them?
Or picking a certain time of day when they're sluggish?
so far, all my bugs have been alive at the time i photographed them...
to get this little one to sit still, i tapped on the roof of my truck (where she was walking) and she just sat and waited for me to take a few shots...
actually... had to ask her to move along so i could drive off...
I heard that there's a farm that rear bugs for that purpose.. They would carefully select their stock and genetically engineer these bugs to have the perfect features.
In fact.. you can get more info at www.DesignerBugs.com.
I heard their latest creation is a talking ladybird...
She communicate in 14 languages and 38 different dialects...
Cool ehh... :)
[Wink]
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Most of the bugs you see depicted so well in DPC are actually professionally-trained bug-models. There are several web sites devoted to selling and/or renting out these bugs to photographers. They respond to hand signals and are very easy to work with. They are kind of expensive, of course, but it's worth it if you get a ribbon.
I have used bugs from www.bug_be_still.com in the past, myself. Only trouble was, I forgot to return them by the deadline and when I DID get around to returning them they had already passed away. The "restocking" fee killed my budget for the month, so I don't shoot bugs anymore.
i just follow them till they stop, then without making any noise, carefully approach. :)..
Love your recent ribbon winner (as well as all of your insect shots). Curious, though...that guy looks like he had stopped permanently. Am I wrong in assuming that he is deceased?
your right :(, I found him dead in a field where I take my bug shots.. so I figured I might as well take him home with me.
it's a little more difficult for point n shoot camera users due to the way those cameras focus. Autofocus is very slow up close and manual focus seems useless to me on those cameras (my wife has a powershot S3).
this is where digital slr's have an advantage in my opinion
Even with a point 'n shoot you can do decent macros by prefocusing in manual as close as the lens will focus and then just leaving the focus there. Then you move the camera closer or further to get the plane of focus where you need it. This is actually the best way to shoot macros with any sort of camera.
