Splash and Go

House sparrows bathe in the backyard water dish.

I Entered a Contest

Several months ago, while reading a photography magazine, I came across the announcement of a contest. I looked at the handful of photos that accompanied the announcement and thought, "I can do that." This was not a local or even national contest. It was the global Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY 6). I paid my euros soon after seeing the announcement. Then my confidence waned and I had a hard time choosing pictures to submit. I didn't submit my pictures until the day after the deadline, and I'm not even certain they were accepted.

I entered in the insects category. The "shortlist" has been published, and I can see why my pictures did not receive a mention. The great majority that made the shortlist are beyond my capability. Here are the pictures I submitted. I've posted most of these before.

Monarch caterpillar (2019). I chose this photo for its action: Did the caterpillar cause the stem to break?

Honey bee (2019). This one pleases me. The background is clean and the angle makes the image more interesting.

Black swallowtail caterpillar (2024). I chose this because of its simplicity.

I chose this because of the unexpected perspective.

Long-legged fly (2024). I chose this for the slightly low angle and the wave of the leaf's edge.

Honey bee (2024). I chose this for its artistic nature.

Columbus August 21

I went to the Columbus Zoo August 21 with a pal and got these shots.

Randhir, a male sloth bear

The picture is not noteworthy, but the activity was interesting. Frankie, the youngster on the left, and one of his aunties had a brief shoving match. They stood this way for several seconds, the auntie gave a small push, and Frankie retreated.

Javan pond heron

northern bald ibis

African grey parrot

One of the western lowland gorilla moms with a kid on her back.

Humboldt penguin

Three Bees

Bees are probably my favorite insect subjects, not least because the missing gardener's plantings attract them April through October. If butterflies were half as abundant I might have a different favorite.

This honey bee was part of a failed focus stack. I was going to delete all the shots, but I decided I like this one.

 

A few days after I bought the extension tubes, I was madly trying to get more detailed shots than I could get without them. I moved the camera too much as I was shooting, and the collection of shots did not have enough of this bumble bee in focus. I was going to delete the set, but the missing gardener's comment made me reconsider. A pollen-covered bee is pretty cool.

Focus stack of 2 images

Carpenter bees are my favorite bee, partly because they're large as bees go. Their green eyes and a yellowish patch (males) help give them something I recognize as a face.

As is well-known, bees are busy, so it can be difficult to take a good picture of a bee and even more difficult to get multiple shots for a good focus stack. However, bees are still before they get going in the morning. This eastern carpenter bee spent a chilly (60° or lower) night on a flower. In the morning, I was able to get plenty of shots for focus stacks, and I managed to control the camera's movement to get good focus front-to-back.

Focus stack of 12 images

More Magnification!

Previously, I expressed a need for more magnification. Now I have it in the form of a set of three extension tubes. These attach between the camera body and the lens and somehow permit closer focusing. There are no optics involved; these things are basically empty spacers with electrical contacts that let the camera and lens communicate.

 

The closest I can get with my 100mm macro lens.

The same ruler with the macro lens and 56mm of extension tubes (yeah, I blew the focus).

Woo-hoo! I can get shots of small bugs!

Not quite. As with many things in photography, there is a trade-off. Yes, there is greater magnification, but the penalties are an even shallower depth of field, a need for more light, and magnified camera shake. The one that has been cooking my shorts the most is depth of field.

I started out using all three extension tubes and could barely orient myself. I looked through the viewfinder and couldn't find the bug that was 16 inches away from my eyes. When I did find it, I couldn't get a decent shot because it popped in and out of focus so easily. If I managed to settle in and shoot a burst for a focus stack, I found that I moved the camera too much and parts of the bug were not in focus in any of the shots.

I would have to improve my technique or use a tripod, but a tripod isn't handy for insects that move.

Something that has helped is not using all the extension tubes. I usually want maximum magnification, but if I can't take a good picture maximum magnification doesn't do any good.

Here's another illustration of the magnification. My neighbor had a bald-faced wasp's nest (or white-faced hornet or bald-faced hornet or a bunch of other names) in a garage light, and I obtained one of the fallen comrades before the exterminator arrived.

Macro lens only

Macro lens and 36mm extension tube, focus stack of 5 images

Orangutans

I checked on Clementine in August at the Columbus Zoo.

Sulongo was in the yard, monitoring the grass beneath a tower.

Khali and Clementine were right up by the glass.

This looks uncomfortable.

It was difficult to get a shot, what with all the human primates crowded around. I think the glass is tilted the wrong way, if the intent is to minimize reflections.

Sulongo moved on to reading the newspaper.

Or chewing it.

Khali took Clementine out to the yard.

Sulongo was nearby

Bird Portraits

Lately, I've been going to the Columbus Zoo for the cheetah runs. Full sun is good for them because I can use a fast shutter to freeze the action. (Except that I've been using a slower shutter, which I'll post about eventually.) One day was cloudy but bright, and cloudy means defuse light, and defuse light is good light for portraits. A few birds in the North America aviary were kind enough to pose for me.

North American robin

American goldfinch, male, in breeding plumage

American goldfinch, male

white-faced ibis, male, in breeding plumage

I usually use aperture priority--I set the aperture and ISO (light sensitivity) and let the camera choose the shutter speed. All three can be set manually, but I appreciate partial automation. (Looking at some older posts, I see that I have "graduated" from full automatic through program mode to aperture or shutter priority.) For the ibis shots, the bright background would have led to an underexposed bird, so I added 1.5 stops of exposure compensation. That told the camera to let in more light, and it probably used a slower shutter than it otherwise would have.

Polar Ballplayer

The Toledo Zoo's polar bear twins, Kallu and Kallik were born in November, 2022. Molly Merrow, over at Polar Bear Friends, reported that Kallik loves the water and Kallu often stays dry. On that basis, I'll say Kallik is the ballplayer in these photos from February, 2024. Flipbook action is available: Click one of the photos and then cycle through them.