Some shots from our hummingbird / butterfly garden

[BudOhio]

Five years ago, we dug up almost half of our backyard in an attempt to bring some nature into our urban landscape.  It was also at this time that my interest in photography was renewed and now I find that the two interests seem to work tohether well  

Here's a few shots from our yard over the past 2 weeks that I'd like to share.  Comments and critique always appreciated!  

All hand-held with K20D

#1 is a Hover Fly with Vivitar 105 macro and 540 flash
#2 is some type of a wasp feeding on a milkweed bloom... same set-up
#3  - I was sitting at the computer late one evening and noticed a spinning light out of the corner of my eye.  It was this barn spider spinning it's web around the still flashing lightning bug.  Vivitar 105 and 540 flash.
#4 - The first dragonfly that I have ever seen land in our yard - Sigma 180 macro and 540 flash
#5 - Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly sunning - DA*300 available light
#6 - A recently fledged male Ruby-throated hummingbird feeding on a monarda bloom. - DA*300 with available light
#7 - Praying Mantis nymph - Vivitar 105 and 540 flash
#8 - Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly on an echinacea bloom - DA*300 and 540 flash for fill

[JIMBO]

These are all excellent images but the dragon fly and hummingbird shots are some of the best I have seen. Well done. Which lens / lenses did you use for these shots? Thank you for positng. JIM

[BudOhio]

Thanks, Jim!  I'm still adjusting to posting images here, but i went back and included the lens information for all of the shots.  My "summertime" lens trio is the DA*300 - butterflies and hummingbirds, and the Vivitar 105 and Sigma 180 macros.

Thanks for the comments!

Bud

[Mike Pearson]

Bud,

Very nice photographs 

My only critique is that the light seems just a little overpowering on some shots - maybe dial the 540 back some or try a diffuser.

Mike

[JIMBO]

and the Vivitar 105 and Sigma 180 macros.

Great combo for Marco work. Also had a chance to review your 65 approved images on PPG. Well done. JIM

[Craig]

Bud,    These photos are a nice display of hard work paying off.  Looks like you have mastered the garden and the photography.  I would be happy getting this many keepers in a year's time, let alone two weeks.  These are great!  The mantis nymph is my favorite, but they are all superb.  I second Jim's comment on your PPG images. 

Thanks for posting.

Craig

[BudOhio]

Bud,

Very nice photographs 

My only critique is that the light seems just a little overpowering on some shots - maybe dial the 540 back some or try a diffuser.

Mike

Thanks, Mike.  yeah, the spider/lightning bug shot was a challenge.  It was pitch dark outside and I used the back of a deck chair as a reflector.   I have yet to master the settings with the scene when dialing back the flash, although it was, at least, -1 on these shots and I am using a Stofen diffuser.  In which other images do you think that the light is too strong?  I appreciate your critique!

[BudOhio]

Great combo for Marco work. Also had a chance to review your 65 approved images on PPG. Well done. JIM

Thanks, Jim!

[BudOhio]

Bud,    These photos are a nice display of hard work paying off.  Looks like you have mastered the garden and the photography.  I would be happy getting this many keepers in a year's time, let alone two weeks.  These are great!  The mantis nymph is my favorite, but they are all superb.  I second Jim's comment on your PPG images. 

Thanks for posting.

Craig

Thanks, Craig!  As part of our chemcal-free, organic gardening effort, I buy mantis egg cases every year.   When they're this size, they eat aphids, mosquitoes and gnats.  As they get bigger, parasitic flies and wasps... and each other.  They rarely get much larger than about 3 inches and are quite entertaining little insects   There may be 2,000+ in the spring and that number is usually cut down to less than 10 by October, as they also make a tasty snack for the hummingbirds (in the nymph stage), cardinals and wrens in our yard.

[Mike Pearson]

Bud,

Code:

Thanks, Mike.  yeah, the spider/lightning bug shot was a challenge.  It was pitch dark outside and I used the back of a deck chair as a reflector.   I have yet to master the settings with the scene when dialing back the flash, although it was, at least, -1 on these shots and I am using a Stofen diffuser.  In which other images do you think that the light is too strong?  I appreciate your critique!

When I critiqued the shots I was using my laptop - in light of your comments I have checked the images on my desktop monitor and they are not as light, etc. (time to get out my Spyder and recalibrate the laptop).

I was thinking of the Spider shot, the Wasp and the first Fritillary shot.

I was going to suggest cutting back the 540 by one to one and a half stops and using a Stofen Diffuser (which I use most of the time) but you have already done that. I'm no flash expert and still learning with my 540. I have been reading Matthew Page's Pentax Flash Guide at : http://www.mattmatic.co.uk/news10577.html and found it extremely hepful.

Mike

[wjwncpro]

Great photos Bud, looks like a photographers paradise...

[LaRee]

Awesome Bud. I love that dragonfly and the mantis is great too. Now tell me, are you retired? How do you find the time to get all of these amazing shots? :-)

[royd63uk]

all great shots...well done on making a wildlife area

[tcom]

Wow, superb series, thank you for sharing your work.

[Jocoan]

another great series
david