The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
2 weeks ago I watched a Black Swallowtail lay her eggs in my Fennel bush. Then 1 week later I saw about 15 baby caterpillar Swallowtails about 3/16 of an inch long (first picture) start eating… Now 2weeks later they are about 1 inch long and getting bigger. My Fennel bush is half gone. I hope I have enough food to last till they go on to the next stage. I touched one of then and it reared back on his feet (3rd picture) and tried to stick me with something. These 2 long orange things stuck up out of his head from where his eyes look to be. Then they went back in. I have not seen this defense mechanism before. Can someone help me with that?
Specific Feedback
All feedback is welcomed.
Technical Details
Canon 5D sr, MACRO 100mm, camera mode AV, Iso 800
Critique Template
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An interesting series, John. Quite a change from the 1 week to the later stage. I have absolutely no idea what the orange things are all about. Are you using autofocus with your macro lens? With these things moving around it might help with the focus. I was trying to shoot some really small larva earlier this week and between plant movement and larva movement, manual focus just wasn’t cutting it.
Nice series. You don’t mention your aperture, but I think you needed much more DOF to have more areas in focus.
Swallowtail caterpillars have a defense mechanism called the omesterium. When they feel threatened, they put out 2 orange antenna-like things that emit a foul odor that repels ants, praying mantis, and other things that might try to eat the caterpillar. I don’t think it works with birds!
Thanks Dennis and Sandy. I try to use both auto focus and manual focus. Auto focus is hard sometimes when they are moving in the branches.
Sandy now that you mention it, I did smell an odor that was, like a soured dish rag that had set out in the sun, nasty. The smell worked with me, I left shortly after smelling it.
John, I’m sure it was really neat watching these. I can imagine that they weren’t easy to photograph being so small. They just move so much. As @Dennis_Plank said, you about have to use AF, and then to keep the focus point on the face of something so small would be quite the challenge. I’m glad that @Sandy_Richards-Brown was able to explain what the orange antenna-like things are for.
Well Shirley, the fun of watching them devourer my Fennel plant and grow like crazy is over. When I went to check on them this morning I found they all but 2 have moved on to the next stage, pupa. My Fennel plant is all but gone now. Just a few bare branches are left. I know from the past that these guys really move a great distance to find the right place to pupa and they blend in so well. I’m gonna have a time trying to find them now. I hope to catch them when they pop out for the first time to fly.
I’m glad to learn about the defense they have. I won’t be touching them anymore cause it really stinks.
It is a challenge to photograph real small objects. Especially in their own environment. That’s the fun of it. Sometimes I’m not sure I got the shot till I get it in photoshop and enlarge it.
MACRO photography is a challenge. My eye sight isn’t the best so I have to depend on the camera a lot to focus properly.
All in all, it’s fun.
Cool to be able to watch this process even if you have to sacrifice your plant. A few things come to mind with regard to macro -
Flash helps - on camera or off, a little burst of light can do wonders and will often freeze the moment better than shutter speed alone. Getting the hang of it can take time, but once you dial it in, it really helps not only with freezing action, but with evening out light and allowing a bit more DOF with a smaller aperture. And a good diffuser is KEY for this. There are many on the market.
Tripod - lining up your focal plane with your subject will greatly improve the amount of the subject that is in focus. I’ve not had the best of luck with handholding for this, but it’s possible if the subject isn’t moving too quickly.
Focus peaking - if your camera has this function, use it! My eyes aren’t what they used to be either and with items so small it’s difficult to tell what’s in focus and what isn’t. Focus peaking highlights the crisp areas in a color of your choosing that way you can see right away if the eyes, etc. are in focus. I find that choosing the least amount of color highlight results in a more precise target area, but YMMV.
Hope that helps. Keep playing with it and practicing, it’s a fascinating world to discover.
John, I am just glad you had the experience of seeing and photographing them. I do hope you get to see the next segment and even get to photograph them. Nature in the small is very challenging for sure, but when you “the shot” it is very rewarding. One of the guys I have learned from in macro is Thomas Shahan. I am including a YouTube link to one of his videos. Methods in Macro Photography with Thomas Shahan (youtube.com) From there you can see others. I thought it might encourage you and even give you some ideas for diffusers and flash setups. I hope it helps.
Thanks Kris. You have given me some great advice. Although my camera does not have focus peaking I understand what you mean. I’m going to start using a flash when I can as well. I don’t usually use a tripod cause I’m usually in the weeds or on the ground. I got lucky that the Swallowtail did not lay eggs in my parsley. The fennel will come back, I hope.
I spent at least an hour looking for where they all went to but did not find one. Hopefully I’ll catch then after they hatch. I watched the video link to Thomas Shahan. He sure has some great shots, THANKS. I’m going to start using a flash and play with a diffuser. I’m sure it will help me; GET THE SHOT I want. To me, MACRO photography is very challenging. It allows us to see things that we would not normaly see. THANKS so much .
Glad you liked the video. I have learned quite a bit from Thomas Shahan. I wish he would make some new videos. I think I have watched all of his. Macro can be challenging but rewarding too. Keep shooting. Looking forward to more shots.
