A few from Venus Pools

[Anubis1311]

A few recent macro subjects photographed with a Canon R7 and Sigma 105mm Macro. I’ve been spending a lot of time experimenting with focus stacking on live insects and invertebrates, with mixed success! The jumping spider and damselfly stacks came together reasonably well, but the caterpillar was a reminder that hairy, living subjects can be far more challenging than they first appear. Tiny movements between frames caused all sorts of stacking artefacts, so I ended up working with a tighter crop from the best areas of the stack. Still learning with every outing, but that’s part of the fun of macro photography.

 

[AlanLichty]

How are you getting close enough to these critters to get macros like this? I love the results and you are tempting me to splurge on a macro lens with images like these.

 

[Anubis1311]

How are you getting close enough to these critters to get macros like this? I love the results and you are tempting me to splurge on a macro lens with images like these.

So I picked up a used sigma 105mm lens (the old non OS version) for £35 as the seller didn’t know if the autofocus worked. As you don’t need AF I bid on it and no one else did

the lense is old but tack sharp and importantly is 1:1 magnification. So if you can get to about 12 inches from your subject then you can get these wonderful close ups. That, however, is the tricky part!!

Also as I am hand stacking my subject looks like it’s perfectly still. Then when I go to stack the images I realise it’s having a disco dance I just can’t see it