My best macro image so far

[freelanceshots]

Well to add a little more info that really helped the background to go more black was that I used one of those medium sized plastic clamps that you squeeze where I used it to hold the small twig. At first I had that sitting directly on the foam core board. When I took the first shots the background was really close to the subject where you could see some of the artifacts and texture on the board. Also being as close the background came out more gray then black. Quick solution was to pull out something tall and skinny that I could use to lift the clamp up off the table. It so happened that I rummaged and found a tall jar with its lid in my kitchen that appeared that it would be a good podium to rest the clamp. This allowed me to get about 10 more inches of separation which made the background turn a creamy smooth black.


Another interesting little fact about this subject was how I came upon him. I was out trimming the shrubs to shape them up where this little guy was cruising around in the mix. I'm stunned that this caterpillar did not get cut to pieces as I had no idea he was there. At the end I was picking up the trimmed parts of the shrub that had fallen to the ground and putting them in the trash when I then noticed that I was about to wrap my hands around him. Kind of freaked me out as I'm not a person who enjoys touching insects. The little cut up branch that it was hanging on to had been cut into multiple pieces but just happened to miss him. When I was done with the photography I put him back where I'm sure he will start to eating my flowers I just bought.

[Richard Lane]

Nice shot, I love the color and contrast. The green really pops against the black background.


Rich

[freelanceshots]

Thank you for the compliments Greg and Rich. My macro photography skills with really small objects is still a work in progress where it is just so new to me. I have so much fun doing it where it's fun to show off the results. Thanks for looking.


I just now read up on how to lock up the mirror as that would have really helped cut down on some of the vibration. With the 100mm macro lens I'm only a few inches away from the subject in the shot I made so that steadiness becomes even more important. I have a Giottos MTL 9371 tripod where you can pull out the center column and mount it horizontally which can allow you some freedom to get closer to your subject while doing this kind of work. Its was extended to its max where things where getting a little shaky. Lesson learned this time around.