Well over a year since my last blog post, oh well so much for good intentions……
This image is one of those one which really was not planned in any way. Stuck at home with a cold (something that has a whole new meaning in the era of covid) and wandering aimlessly around the garden when a closer look at the lemon tree revealed a caterpillar. I have a macro lens, a ring flash, I can get a picture!
Not the most likely looking spot for a photo effort, but it pays to keep your eyes open.
Getting the image turned into a truely gymnastic effort with the tripod legs splayed all at different angles and lengths, squeezed between the lemon tree and the retaining wall so I could get the angle I wanted. In hindsight I could have cut off the small branch the caterpillar was on and set up in a comfortable and perfectly lit spot, but that is hardly the point is it.
One of the things I find incredibly helpful for this kind of image is having a ring flash attached to the front of the lens. Really changes the dynamic of getting the image and allows you to isolate the subject in a way which just can’t happen with natural light. I use a relatively cheap Yongnuo version I bought off the web which now has a broken battery door which I need to keep shut with big rubber band, but it still does the job.
Even with lots of contortions it was hard to get close enough to take full advantage of the macro lens
Even with all these efforts I could only get so close and definitely could not get him to fill the frame so to speak. Was also keen to try out the focus stacking on the EOS R5 (I have gone totally mirrorless now), only to find out it would not trigger my flash in that mode. Much grinding of teeth.
After a little bit of playing however I realised the most effective image was one where I got fully front on and let his body fade to out of focus and just get his/her amazing face. Ridiculously human like markings there and I do not know what is what, but it makes a cool image.
Canon Eos R5, EF100mm 2.8 macro, ISO 100, 1/200, f11 with ring flash
Once I had the image post was pretty straight forward. Cropped hard to the subject (45 megapixels does give you some serious latitude) adjusted whites and blacks, a little bit of clarity, some noise reduction and sharpening and a light vignette (all in Lightroom). The final result was pretty worth it, not bad for a backyard effort.
And what happened to the caterpillar? I left him be, he was not eating that much.