The Eyes Have It

Eyes – always good to see detail in them when taking macros of insects and spiders.  These shots taken over the last weekend feature closeups, where in most, the eye detail is the feature.

I finally managed to secure some packing foam, so these shots are taken with a diffuser made of this instead of the vellum paper, and with this initial experimentation it looks good as a diffusing material – some tweaks to the setup are required before I show the pictures of the setup, as I need to be a bit more generous with the width of the material than I initially used.  So my next diffuser setup will be made using this.

Anyhow, on to the results – and first up a comparison between a single shot and a 3 image stack of a spider.  Both about 2x magnification.

There is more back to front detail in the stack as the aperture used was F11.  There looks to be an issue in the stack with the spiders foreleg.  This is not a stacking artifact though, just the leg is out of focus in the area stacked.  I needed to take maybe 1 or two more front images to bring all of the front legs into focus.  Stacking done in Helicon 6.

These two images of a Hoverfly were the first ones I took using the foam diffuser – and the only ones taken at home rather than at High Wood.  There is good detail in the eyes, unfortunately due to the position on the wall I could not get a better angle to shoot a proper head on portrait.  @1x magnification.

Not a fly – but a pollen detail, and the diffusion has worked well on its shiny shell, and produced detail in its eye too.  Taken @ about 3x magnification.

Next up a Common Yellow Dungfly – the blue in the background is a card.

The first I had the flash at ETTL and no Flash Exposure Compensation, the detail is in the eye, and I think better lit than the next one when I experimented dropping the FEC to -1.

Although, of course, it may just be down to angle of flash heads that cause the dark undersiding to the eye.  I will carry further experimentation on the FEC this year.

Lastly a half hidden blue bottle on a tree.

 

All images were taken using a Canon 650D with Canon MPE-65mm and Canon MT-24ex Twin Flash.

Map of High Wood Location

Small Car park near lane up to woods and rings