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Post by ecooper on Jul 16, 2014 7:05:15 GMT -8
I found this Phidippus jumping spider wandering around on my living room ceiling. Before releasing it outside I thought I’d take a few photos, and considering that its abdomen looked a little small, I gave it a two-week old cricket to eat. These photos were also a test of a new flash bracket and diffuser I’ve put together. I have to say that I am very pleased with the results! There are a couple more photos of this critter on my blog. Cheers, EC www.macrocritters.wordpress.comCamera: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Lens: Zuiko 60mm micro four thirds macro Settings: manual exposure (F11 @ 1/200 sec) Lighting: Olympus FL-36 flash (1/4 power) ISO: 200 P7140424 jumping spider copyright ernie cooper 2014 by ernie.cooper, on Flickr P7140429 jumping spider copyright ernie cooper 2014 by ernie.cooper, on Flickr
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Post by ecooper on Jul 2, 2014 18:34:10 GMT -8
This video shows a tiny juvenile Central American harvestmen (Acromares vittatum) very rapidly devouring a chironomid midge.
I shot this video last weekend on my kitchen table using 3 tabletop LCD lamps. Unfortunately I didn't get the colour balance quite right so the video is a bit warm. I'd also like to use a lower ISO to get a higher resolution, but that would mean substantially brighter light, which I don't know it the critters would tolerate. I need to experiment a bit more.
Cheers, EC
The technical stuff: Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Lens: Zuiko 60mm micro four thirds macro Settings: aperture priority exposure (F11 @ 1/30 sec) Lighting: 3 Ikea LCD lamps ISO: automatic
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Post by ecooper on May 22, 2014 15:25:51 GMT -8
Last weekend I was enjoying the beautiful weather by preparing a nice BBQ dinner for the family. We had just sat down at the table (out on the deck) when my youngest son pointed out a “spider carrying another spider” (as he put it) on one of the deck posts. It turned out to be a juvenile Phiddipus jumping spider feeding on another spider (possibly a philodromid crab spider). Naturally I wanted to take some photos, but I opted to eat first and shoot later. So we all had dinner together: the humans ate sockeye salmon, nugget potatoes roasted in herbs and olive oil, Caesar salad, corn and a crisp white wine (yum!); while the arachnid feasted on its hapless cousin (tentatively identified as a philodromid crab spider). Somewhat surprisingly the spider was still there when we finished eating (it even waited while I did the dishes)… Photographed with an Olympus OM-D E-M5, Zuiko 6omm micro 4/3 macro lens and 16mm + 10mm extension tubes. Cheers, EC www.macrocritters.wordpress.comP5110417 jumping spider feeding on spider prey copyright ernie cooper 2014 by ernie.cooper, on Flickr P5110377 new jumping spider feeding on spider copyright ernie cooper 2014 by ernie.cooper, on Flickr
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Post by ecooper on Apr 16, 2014 14:30:45 GMT -8
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Post by ecooper on Apr 15, 2014 11:50:43 GMT -8
Photos of a "filth fly", genus Muscina . These flies are found worldwide, commonly hanging around livestock facilities, restrooms, outhouses, cadavers; hence the rather unfortunate common name of filth fly... Photographed with an Olympus OM-D EM-5, 60mm Zuiko f2.8 macro lens, and flash. I don't remember if I used the FL36 or the ring flash (oops). Cheers, EC www.macrocritters.wordpress.comP8290318 flesh fly copyright Ernie Cooper 2013 by ernie.cooper, on Flickr P8290314 flesh fly copyright Ernie Cooper 2013 by ernie.cooper, on Flickr
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Post by ecooper on Apr 6, 2014 9:41:36 GMT -8
Great shot, I do enjoy your posts. I love getting my camera out in my spare time. My macro gear however is not designed for those extra close ups. In the field, I now use A Nikon 7000 with a 105mm Macro VR lens of the same make. The latter saves carrying around those heavy tripods, but for still subjects I take a lightweight mono pod. Hope we enjoy lots of good weather this year in the U.K. Raining today and family to visit, so no photography. Thanks very much! I was in the UK in Feb for a series of meetings. Then I had a couple of days to enjoy London. I'd love to get out in the countryside with my camera some day... Cheers, EC www.macrocritters.wordpress.com
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Post by ecooper on Apr 6, 2014 9:39:34 GMT -8
Great shot. I used to do some macro photography myself. I used a Canon EOS 50D and a "L" grade 180mm Macro lens along with a remote switch and tripod. I hope to find a nice hornet nest this fall.
Joe Thanks! These wasps are pretty common around where I live. I have to keep an eye out for nests being started under the eaves of the house! Cheers, EC www.macrocritters.wordpress.com
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Post by ecooper on Apr 5, 2014 15:23:10 GMT -8
I haven't posted here for ages! For that matter I haven't done much photography for ages. I didn't lose interest, life just got a bit too busy.
But spring is here and its time to break out the camera gear and start shooting some bugs. In the meantime I've been going through my files and came accross this picture of a bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) that I shot last summer. I love the face on this beast...and the way they rest with their front legs off the ground.
Cheers, EC www.macrocritters.wordpress.com Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Lens: Zuiko 60mm micro four thirds macro Settings: manual exposure (F11 @ 1/160 sec) Lighting: Olympus flash (I don't remember which one or the setting—oops!) ISO: 200
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Post by ecooper on Aug 24, 2013 7:22:15 GMT -8
The other day I discovered a pair of half-black bumble bees (Bombus vagans) busily mating on my back deck. Naturally I took photos. But I also shot a video and uploaded it to YouTube. It’s a bit silly, and the staff of National Geographic has no reason to be worried (yet). But it was fun to produce and I learned a lot about video editing. And I am inordinately proud of the opening “macrocritters” graphic I designed! My latest video attempt: Cheers, EC More information and photos: wp.me/p2wM8r-wtP9170064 copyright ernie cooper 2013 2 by ernie.cooper, on Flickr Stills: Olympus OM-D E-M5; Zuiko 60mm micro four thirds macro; manual exposure (F11 @ 1/200 sec); Olympus RF-11 ring flash (1/4-1/2 power); ISO 200 Video: Olympus OM-D E-M5; Zuiko 60mm micro four thirds macro; shutter priority (@ 1/50 sec); ISO 200
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Post by ecooper on Aug 18, 2013 8:33:59 GMT -8
Out on the back deck of my house I have two large saucers that hold a number of small pots of carnivorous plants, including a couple of cape sundews (Drosera capensis). Well a couple of weeks ago I went out and I don’t know if there had been a midge convention on my deck or something, but the cape sundews had both trapped several non-biting midges (chironomids), all of which seemed to be the same species. Naturally...I took pictures! Cheers, EC More information and photos: wp.me/p2wM8r-wfOlympus OM-D E-M5; Zuiko 60mm micro four thirds macro; manual exposure (F11 @ 1/200 sec); Olympus RF-11 ring flash (1/4-1/2 power); ISO 200 P8310353 copyright ernie cooper 2013 by ernie.cooper, on Flickr
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Post by ecooper on Aug 9, 2013 6:37:48 GMT -8
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Post by ecooper on Aug 9, 2013 6:37:11 GMT -8
A trick that might be a good tool to photograph jumping spiders: They will purdue a laser pointer. You can get them to look right into a lens by luring them with the red dot. I have yet to shoot a video doing this but I think it might be entertaining. Interesting suggestion...I'll have to try that...
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Post by ecooper on Aug 2, 2013 12:43:34 GMT -8
Yesterday I grabbed my sweep net and went out into the garden to mess around and see what I could collect. After a couple of sweeps through some bushy plants I looked in the net and saw what I first thought (with my lousy vision) was a mosquito or midge because of the size and the long spindly legs. But when I looked closer I realized that it was something I had never seen before... a thread-legged bug, a type of assassin bug (family Reduviidae). According to Wygodzinsky (1966) the wide spread of their long thin mid and hind legs is a preadaptation to life on spider webs! Apparently many species are often found on webs where they feed on either other insects that become trapped, or the spiders themselves. This pretty little specimen was only 7mm (1/4 inch) long (not counting the legs). Cheers, EC More information and photos: wp.me/p2wM8r-voOlympus OM-D E-M5; Zuiko 60mm micro 4/3 macro; manual exposure (F11 @ 1/200 sec); Olympus RF-11 ring flash (TTL mode); ISO 200 P8280316 sharp by ernie.cooper, on Flickr
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Post by ecooper on Jul 30, 2013 19:14:06 GMT -8
A European paper wasp ( Polistes dominula) trying to feed on the tiny droplets of nectar secreted on the underside of the operculum of a yellow pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava). As you can see the wasp had a very precarious hold on the slippery lip of the plant. You can tell that this wasn’t going to end well…at least not for the wasp. Moments later it slipped and disappeared into the trap. Cheers, EC Blog: wp.me/2wM8rOlympus OM-D E-M5; Zuiko 60mm micro 4/3 macro; manual exposure (F11 @ 1/200 sec); Olympus RF-11 ring flash (1/2 power); 200 P8120201 wasp on pitcher plant copyright ernie cooper 2013 by ernie.cooper, on Flickr
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Post by ecooper on Jul 29, 2013 7:40:54 GMT -8
I attracted this gorgeous flesh fly (Sarcophaga sp.) by putting the remains of a sockeye salmon out on my deck (as part of the “Flyday” series on my blog). These flies aren’t too skittish (at least not when they are feasting on some fine BC sockeye), so photography was straightforward. The Zuiko 60mm macro lens I am using provided plenty of working distance. One nice thing about these flies is that they are not shiny. That plus their grey background colour makes lighting them easy. This one is cleaning up after feeding. Part of me wishes that flies like this were the size of canaries. Then people would better appreciate how attractive they are. They’d probably make good pets too. Just imagine a birdcage hanging in your kitchen, with your favourite flesh fly sitting on its perch buzzing contentedly. It would be just like having a purring cat in your lap! Well, except for having to feed it dead things. And then there are the maggots.... Cheers, EC www.macrocritters.wordpress.comOlympus OM-D E-M5; Zuiko 60mm micro 4/3 macro; manual exposure (F11 @ 1/200 sec); Olympus RF-11 ring flash (1/2 power); 200 P8100212 flesh fly copyright ernie cooper 2013 final by ernie.cooper, on Flickr
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