Aug 26

Aug 26 King Kunta

Getting straight into it in the month of August with an encounter with a Common or Viviparous Lizard sat on top of a moss covered log basking in the sun. I have been checking spots like this for a little while as they make great places for cold blooded animals to warm themselves . I was in the middle of saying just this when I clocked the lizard sitting there amongst the moss. Knowing I had little time, I took a few images from distance before moving in closer and closer as slowly as I could. Suddenly I was too close and my luck was out, the Lizard bolted, never to be seen again.

Common or Viviparous Lizard - 100mm Macro F2.8

My obsession with my macro lens continues this month with the added ring flash which has been out of action for a while due to the battery latch being broken. I taped it shut and took it out with the 100mm to help keep the F stop at a level that would keep as much of the subject in focus as possible.

Evarcha falcata Jumping spider - 100mm Macro F/2.8

I have found the ring flash is particularly important when photographing butterflies as it helps keep the whole of the wings in focus when opened.

The common blue butterfly below was taken without the ringflash, proving this is the case, as the tips of the wings are out of focus without the air of the ringflash.

Common Blue Butterfly - 100mm Macro F/2.8

One subject the ring flash was essential for was when I came across Dor beetle on a forest floor. I picked one of the individuals up and took it to a nearby log where I was able to get some images of it with the ring flash attached to the front of the 100mm Macro F.2.8. The results show that using this flash meant I was able to keep the subject in focus in a darker shooting environment while also being able to keep larger areas closer to the lens still in focus and sharp as well as bring out the iridescent colours in the beetle.

Dor Beetle - 100mm Macro F/2.8 + ring flash

After being told about, and subsequently visiting a semi wild herd of Goats right by my house, I went back with my 400mm F/5.6 to try and photograph them. After my first visit I had noticed that the one goat I had seen was a little way off up on the gorge and had been using a tree for a vantage point, upon return to the gorge, the same goat was where I had left him so I started the task of getting close to him. As I struggled my way up, I noticed that up a tree close to the path was another goat. I changed target immediately, going back down to get into a decent position closer to the path. He was still a little way off but with the good light from the midday august sun, I fired off some shots with a high shutter speed (2000th of a second), and an F stop of F7+.

Finally for this post a couple of re-edits of images taken in 2016 and 2018. I was going through my hard-drive when I came across these images that I thought I could improve on from the original. I was happy with the results so they finally gets a run out on my blog and not just sat on my hard-drive.