All The Small Things II
Back in 2019 I did a blog mostly dedicated to macro photography with my 100mm macro lens. Since then I have sold all my canon equipment, with any option for macro work gone along with it. It’s now July 2024 and after taking the plunge again into the world of macro, I can add a part 2 to this blog, with some even closer macro images taken across the month with a flash and defuser helping create even more impressive results.
The Godox V350F flash for my new Macro set-up arrived, enabling me to put the new Laowa 65mm F2.8 Macro lens to work, freezing the action without the need for fast shutter speeds. I hope to add to this a light diffuser that should also help to cut down any harsh light reflections, spread and soften the light from the flash, and to give an overall more natural look to the images.
The introduction of the flash meant I was now able to not only freeze the action easier, but it also enabled me to bring up the F-Stop from F/2.8 to F/8 and above which allowed me to get more of the tiny insects I was finding in focus. Hopefully the addition of the light diffuser will further help with this.
The next piece of my macro equipment arrived in the form of a macro diffuser which would hopefully help direct and soften the light from the new flash which was already proving a fantastic purchase all on its own.
It may take me a little bit of time to get used to however as the hood of this defuser reaches past the lens, knocking into any plants around it. This was slightly frustrating at first, but with a little bit of patience I managed to get my first images with the diffuser attached. (See below).
The diffuser also worked wonders when photographing the ants in my garden, which have suddenly made a fantastic source of consistent Marco opportunities as they go about their day, tending to their aphids in the buds of some flowers on a bush. The light that was quite harsh on the body and eye of the ants without the diffuser, are now much softer as the light is distributed much better across the image.
A trip down to the new forest meant I was also able to test the new lens out as a more all round option. I used it during a walk around a farm shop and was pleasantly surprised at how sharp the lens was, and how easily it was to use despite it being a totally manual lens.
I also had the opportunity to visit Blashford lakes Nature reserve, a fantastic little find with some great hides both looking over the lakes and a woodland hide with well stocked feeders bringing in woodland birds from blue tits to green finches and a nuthatch.
The Reed warbler was a real pain to photograph as despite it being right in front of the hide, it was spending it’s time right at the bottom of the reeds, so all that could be seen were the odd glimpse and a Reed wobble. Lucky for me this one spent a few seconds at the top of the reeds giving me enough time to get off a few shots before going back into the thick Reed beds again.
The nuthatch on the other hand was out in plane sight as it sat on a nearby tree eating a seed it had just taken from the bird feeder a few feet away. I wanted a more natural image rather than one on the feeder so I kept my camera on the tree nearby where it landed and consumed it’s meal.
FIN
