Later in the morning, I came upon a Parasitic Wasp taking nectar from the stamps on a flower.  In order to capture this fast-moving subject, I’ll need to handhold the camera, so I set it up with my 180/3.5 mm macro lens.  This lens also provides an opportunity to allow more distance between the insect and me.  I’ve also added the flash on a Manfrotto 330 Macro Flash Bracket holder near the camera body in order to enhance the light on the subject. 

 

FYI: The faceted eyes of insects are very sensitive.  They may not see everything we can, but they are about ten times more sensitive than our eyes.

 

Looking through the viewfinder of my camera, I watch the wasp to study its behavior.  I find myself questioning--what is it doing and why is it here in this place at this time?  Is it more than just the quest for food?  I’m inspired by the answers to such concerns, because insects are so interesting and important to humans.
 

Because capturing an insect’s behavior on a photo is an arduous challenge, I shot many photos--around thirty.  During the first thirteen photos, I made a few mistakes and the wasp flew away, but luckily, he returned.  His need for nectar far outweighed my intrusion on his territory.

 

 

Copyright © Edwin Brosens  All rights reserved.

 

Parasitic Wasp (Barichneumon bilunulatus)

I spent almost a full hour of shooting to catch a photo like this.

Sony alpha 700 + 180/3.5 APO Macro lens + Flash  F/13 @ 1/160 sec.

 

 

11:00 a.m.:  The morning has passed quickly and the sun is now too bright and creating too much high contrast to continue shooting, so I’ll take this opportunity to go back home and spend some time examining my images.  I’m always asking myself questions like, “If I approach the subject differently or try a new technique, what would happen?”  I work on ideas I’ve had and try to consider how my images can be approached from a fresh viewpoint.  I’m always wondering how I could make them better--always looking for ways to improve my images.  

 

The dawn of each new day brings with it a variety of challenges; the weather, the kind of natural light, and the types of insects that are available.  So I get one subject in mind and try to find it in the field.  If I can’t find it, it’s never wasted hours.  I’ll just capture photos of other insects.  

 

It’s important to visit the same place repeatedly to get a good understanding of the variety of insects you can expect to find in that location.  Locality research may be time consuming, but it is well worth the effort.  And once I’ve shot a particular kind of insect, I also do research to learn all I can about the insect itself.  This added information helps me to develop another view of it and as such, helps me to capture and create better photos of it when I see it in the field again.

 

2:00 p.m.: Mid-day brings a softer light, so it’s time to return to the field.  It doesn’t take long before I come upon some Hoverflies taking nectar from a thistle.

 

The sun is very bright in the background, so I have to overexpose my shutter speed by two to three stops.  I also use my flashgun.  New problems arise.  Wind is making the plant move.

 

It took 90 minutes to get a good photo.  Why?  There were a variety of factors involved.  I didn’t have a quality composition, although the exposure time was good, so I needed to reset what I saw through the viewfinder.  Another shot revealed that my flash light was too “hard”.  Yet another shot shows that my aperture setting is incorrect.  And of course with the wind moving the thistle right at the moment I snapped the shutter button, another shot was lost.  But with adjustments made and prevailing patience, I finally got what I wanted.

 

Copyright © Edwin Brosens  All rights reserved.

 

Hoverfly (Syrphus Ribesii)
   

Sony alpha 700 + 20/1.8 lens + Flash  F/14 @ 1/100 sec.