30:
It had been raining for 3 days straight. The ants had invaded the house.
I took a small dish and filled it with about 1/8 inch of water and put it in the freezer. I then let a several hundred ants climb onto a piece paper. Once the water was frozen, the paper was held over the ice and the ants that fell to the ice seemed to freeze almost instantly. I did not expect such immediate results.
63 photos were assembled to get the above photo.
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 100MM MACRO 2.8
Helicon Focus Software
04:
It was midnight. I was finishing up some editing and just about to call it a night, when this guy flew onto my keyboard.
I quickly set up 2 Canon Speedlites and 2 continous lights. The talent (the mosquito eater) was placed on a roll of toilet paper and the photo shoot began.
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 100mm Macro 2.8
ISO 100, f/8, 1/160
24:
“Ten for $10″, read the sign at the East Bay Vivarium. So I bought 10 roaches. The guy tried to charge me $20. I pointed at the sign, “Roaches ten for $10″ with a smile on my face. He then went through the involved process of voiding out the previous sale. I wish I would have kept my mouth shut. The staff at the vivarium is odd, hostile with a sense of humor; elitist reptile lovers.
I finally finished “Killing the Fat Man Episode 11″ tonight and rewarded myself with a roach photo shoot!
This was shot in a photo tent, using 3 flashes.
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 100mm 2.8
f/32, 1/125, ISO 200
13:
It can take years to capture a quality Humming Bird Moth photograph. Yes, they can be seen, but it requires luck or the knowledge of their habits to get a quality photo. It is best to find these remarkable insects in the early dawn. Whenever I see them past 8AM they seem to be en route to “another location”. I have never seen a faster flying insect and if they are not feeding in a particular location for several minutes, getting a photo is near impossible. This particular morning in Prescott Arizona, at about 7AM, I grabbed about 100 epic photographs of this Humming Bird Moth! He was solo and stayed on this bush for 10 minutes! More photos to come!
Canon 5D Mark II (2)
Canon 100mm, 2.8 Macro lens
30:
Looking from my hotel window.
20:
It was a feeding frenzy in Armenia. Swallows fly the summer sky in the thousands.
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 70-200mm 2.8
04:
I shot these photos on the new Pentax Optio WG II with GPS. The he camera dazzled me and we had a great three days. After 3 days I imported the photos and video into my Mac Book Air, via Aperture 3.
The water proof, macro, high-speed video (+ dozens of other features,) Pentax camera did a good job. With a little bit of help from Aperture 3 and Final Cut Pro X, the images became presentable.
It is not a DSLR. The camera is compact and affordable. It is, what it is. The camera really does a GREAT job with macro shooting, including several built-in LED lights for the “1CM” mode. The high-speed mode is spectacular, offering an equivalent of 120 frames a second. Water proof, hell yeah! It worked perfect in the thunder-storm I was caught in yesterday.
The camera is light compared to the DSLRs I am used to carrying. I carry a camera all the time, and with this dedication I also expect the camera to perform to pro-levels. The Pentax is not a “pro” camera although it is a viable tool for a professional. It is a versatile tool with a special place in my heart because of its variety of macro modes- including high-speed shooting and built-in LED lights. This makes getting photos while 1 centimeter away from your subject easy. Shooting insects at a distance of 1 centimeter at 120 frames a second is good stuff! Play back on the camera’s LED is beautiful.
The video is web friendly and the photos are acceptable for basic capture. There is no raw mode and the images are far from Canon 5D material.
I used Final Cut Pro X for the first time. I edited, from the field, on a 2012, 2GHZ, i7, 8GB, 1600 MHZ, 13 inch Mac Book Air. I have owned more than 20 Macs since 1984. I have been chained to a 17 inch lap top for 4 or 5 years (traveled to 70+ countries). This 13 inch Mac Book Air, FCP X and Aperture 3 combination is AMAZING. I have directed/produced/edited more than a thousand projects including 3 feature films and dozens of TV shows, this set up it the bee’s knees. Don’t hesitate to make the switch to the Mac Air and FCP X. I watched tutorials on youtube and was able to pick it up in a day.
Back to the Pentax – If you love macro photography, this camera is a must. The slow motion feature is a treat. If you love cameras and want a small affordable camera that does it ALL, this is the camera for you. The video was cleaned up in FCP X. I was not happy about the footage at first, but with minor tweaks in FCP X, I think the piece turned out nice for 680×480.
The photos below were captured with a Samsung Galaxy note. I was shooting this grasshopper and he decided to on board the camera.
16:
I tried to go on a walk this sunny San Diego morning, but I did not make it 30 feet out the front door, before I found this spectacular photo opportunity.
This green spider captured the bee and several small flies (?) have jumped on board.
Video coming soon!
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 65mm MP-E macro lens
Canon Macro Flash MT 24-EX
18:
The Canon 65mm MP-E is a remarkable lens.
This is as wide as this lens shoots. Without a flash or some additional light it would be nearly impossible to get
this photo without the ISO being 2500 to 6400.
This was captured using the Canon 5D at ISO 100, f13, 1/200 using a the canon Twin Lite MT-24EX.
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