Macro in the Garden

[sury]

Pat,
Thanks for the clarification. I always assumed that for macro, one has to have smallest aperture
to maximize the DoF and therefore, need a flash except when it is bright light. Since I seldom went
without flash, I did not know any differently. I was getting intrigued by your comments about flash
at times being an obstacle (at least my inference) and now I see what you meant.
I will add one more line to your friend's quote about photography. In addition to it being a series of
compromises, it is also a series of learning opportunities.

With best regards,
Sury

[Wildieswife]

Pat,

I will add one more line to your friend's quote about photography. In addition to it being a series of
compromises, it is also a series of learning opportunities.

With best regards,
Sury

And so it should be - as long as the compromises are part of the learning process ::D

Pat

[Atgets_Apprentice]

OK, I'll confess upfront, it's not technically a macro shot, but I was on the "macro" end of a Tamron 70-300mm!



Male Emerald Damselfly.

[MickH]

A-Apprentice,

Sorry to butt in. Your damsel is not an Emerald. As far as I can make out it's an Azure (but the photo isn't conclusive). You can just about see a black marking on the thorax that's known as the Coenagrion Spur and is a pointer to one of the Coenagrion species. The Azure is Coenagrion puella. The Emerald (apart from being - well - emerald) doesn't typically hold its wings like that, doesn't have the Coenagrion spur and looks very different.

I'll try to post a picture of an Emerald a little later when I've delivered morning coffee to 'er indoors!'

MickH

[MickH]

Here's an Emerald. I deliberately didn't try to get the wings in focus because I wanted to major on the water mites that are infesting its thorax (the orange blobs). You get an impression of the typical Emerald wing position though.

MickH

[Atgets_Apprentice]

Happy to stand corrected!

[Birma]

That's a fabulous shot Mick - great details. Those mites must be a really big pain!

[MickH]

Thanks for the compliment.

Your response gives me the chance to explain a little - although you probably will be bored and certainly didn't intend your words to be taken as I'm about to.

Pain - most folk believe that insects don't feel pain. They have neither the nervous system nor the brain.

Now the mites. Surprisingly it seems that a small infestation, such as I've shown, has no impact at all on the life cycle of the damselfly. It's been shown that really heavy infestations can shorten the life of the host a little and maybe impair its reproductive efficiency but has surprisingly little discernible effect.

The mites themselves attach to the nymph and cling on to the exuvia during emergence of the damsel. Once the Odonate has emerged the mites then transfer to the emerged host. Sometime later, engorged with blood, they drop off into the water and start all over again. The purpose seems to be that the mite 'hitches a lift' to a new location.

Sorry for the biology lesson. As you can guess Odonata are one of my passions.

MickH

[caporip]

Mick

As Spock would say "fascinating"

Thanks for the explanation

Richard

[Dr. Harout]

I love this kind of getting educated. Thanks.

[Birma]

Very interesting Mick. I'm glad I made the comment. By 'pain' I'd been thinking of the extra weight that had to be carried. Glad to hear it doesn't have too much impact.

[MickH]

Stretching a point - in the neighbour's garden!

A newly emerged Four spot chaser.

MickH

[Birma]

Very nice Mick - great detail on the wings

[caporip]

A couple of bee shots from my garden last night:-

A900 and tamron 90mm

[mvanrheenen]

Those are some very good shots Mick and caporip.