The other day it was time for me to break out the tool belt and complete a handful of tasks around the house – some which even included more fun with electricty. One of the tasks was the basic act of changing the light bulbs in the garage door opener.
As I opened the housing on the garage door opener, I noticed an interesting bug that was stuck in the housing and had died. The thing that really caught my attention was how the wings were extended and it was in an interesting position.
Naturally, I thought it would be interesting to bring the bug inside and capture a few pictures of it. While I still have much to learn about my Nikon D40x, I thought a few of these turned out well enough to share with all of you.
Note: Clicking each photo will show you a larger, more detailed version.
My personal favorite is the third photo with the leg lying in front of the bug. As I had been moving the bug around, one leg fell off. In this picture, the bug seems to be looking at its leg lying there and thinking “WTF! That’s my leg!“.
What do you think of these photos?
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, truly impressive.
It’s so amazing the beauty that is in the things which we don’t normally see.
Thanks for the feedback. It is always nice to hear what others think, particularly when they have nice things to say.
Nice shots… the 1st being my favorite (nice lighting).
Are you shooting in RAW?
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No, I had the camera in JPEG normal mode. Lighting is one of the things that I really need to understand, as that makes a huge difference in the photos.
Thanks for the feedback.
Heh! That’s a good one. I mean, “WTF? That’s my leg!” Sounds like a scene from Monty Python.
Lol, glad you liked it!
What was your lighting set up?
For these shots, I had the fading daylight coming in the windows plus overhead lighting.
Shoot in RAW Derek. If you ever screw up a shot, you have way more adjustment to bring it back. Also, in JPG, some of the settings in the camera can affect the output, making it not look like what you thought you were shooting (colors might be bumped up, contrast might be spiked etc).
As for lighting, shoot in one type. So either all daylight, or all artificial. At least when you can control it. It makes it much easier to white balance after the fact. Although AUTO WB is great most of the time, there are situations, like in mixed lighting, where the results aren’t what you want. The camera is trying to guess and take an average. You’ll see this in your pictures, where the white is not the same white. In some, it’s redder. In some it’s bluer.
Did you use a tripod? If not, you have a pretty steady hand. You should be a surgeon!
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Stephen, thank you for the insight and advice. I’ll be experimenting with RAW the next time I take some shots, we’ll see what happens.
With these photos, I did not use the tripod – so I guess I have a pretty steady hand. My surgical career never progressed beyond my mad skills at the game Operation though.
Fantastic!
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Although I’m not into insects, the photos are impressively clear!
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The tone is really good for the first three pics. Rest are a bit too dark, I guess. Perhaps if it was placed on a glass sheet or so, it would have looked nicer? Good job overall.
(Don’t show the second one to any hollywood director. They might come up with a ‘Bruce Willis yet again saving the Americans!’ kind of theme
just kiddin’
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You’ve inspired me to finally buy a digital camera! I don’t think I’ll be photographing dead bugs, however! But the quality of the photos is amazing!
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Wow, I like the detail of the pictures.
Nice photo looks like a shot of a pro.
Those are sharp photos. Most people would think it’s an easy task to shoot an insect up close like you did in your little experiment, but it’s not. Good job.
OMG, good pictures, strange bug, your honey do list is never ending isn’t it.
With Regards,
Betsy Buchanan
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I do that too!
I recentely bought a powerfool microscope, so things like that happen to me, i just pick up some bugs and take pictures of them under the microscope!
Interesting…trying to imagine the setup in order to take pictures of something under a microscope. Sounds pretty cool to me. Do you have any samples?
You certainly have an eye for a photo. Having the gear is one thing but getting the right shot is totally different.
What did you use for a background?
Steve
Thanks, I’ve always liked to think so but nobody else has ever confirmed that ability.
The background for those shots was a portable “studio in a box” setup that I bought. It is quite similar to those home-made version from Tyler. Unlike Tyler, I was lazy and just bought a kit.
Superb!! The tone is really good for the first three pics. Rest are a bit too dark, I guess. Perhaps if it was placed on a glass sheet or so, it would have looked nicer? Good job overall.
What a lightning effect shots. All images are perfectly clean and clear. All Insect’s actions are easy to understandable.
Wow, those turned out pretty good. What an amusing specimen as well, most people would’ve just tossed the dead bug aside and continued on their merry way…thanks for not doing that.
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As soon as I saw it, I thought it would make for a pretty cool picture and carried it into the house for safe-keeping on my desk. My wife thought I was a little nuts though.
Yeah, I’m just impressed by your presence of mind to think of that before it was too late. Most would be more focused on the task at hand and not concerned about specimens for a photo shoot
…just a little?
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Thanks, appreciate that – although that might be more indicative of the fact that I was not all that interested in the task at hand and looking for a reason to be distracted.
It depends on the day…
Which lens did you use?
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These were taken with my Nikon 18-55mm lens that came as part of the camera kit.
Hehe, very interesting photos of you bug
. Although she is dead, the bug looks like living.
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I love the shots derek. My Father in Law is the photographer in our family and spends a fortune on the best equipment. I have never been into it myself but think it is amazing how you can get such clear amazing looking shots.
Fantastic
Derek these are some excellent quality shots. We have a Nikon D5000 and do close up shots similar to these with a number of garments that we sell. I agree the third shot is quite incredible and I hope to bust the camera out over the weekend to do some more creative work.
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