# Various Invertebrates



## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 6, 2015)

Collection of various invertebrates (not just insects, arachnids and molluscs as well) I tried to capture over the past couple of months. 

Honest critiques and helpful tips are very much appreciated! 

_Camera + lens used:_ Sony SLT-A58 + DT 3.5-5.6/18-55 SAM II, 0.25m/0.82ft, ⌀55




 
*Mottled Umber *(_Erannis defoliaria_) *grub* with whatever that red thing on the leaf is, I think it might be a parasite of some sort but I'm not sure.



 
Dead *Blue Ground Beetle* (_Carabus intricatus_) that I found lying in our inner yard. :'(

  
Two versions of the same shot of a tiny *Jumping Spider* (family _Salticidae_), we have dozens of those in our inner yard, seems like a safe haven for them. Anyway, which one's better? I can't really decide...



 
*White Cross Spider* a.k.a. *European Garden Spider* (_Araneus diadematus_), from our garden. She recently had babies. How do I know? They're all over our garden now that she's gone. 



 
*Broad-Bodied Chaser* (_Libellula Depressa_) in our parents' house's garden.  This is one of the most beautiful dragonflys I have ever seen, personally. 



 
And last but not least, I got to document a *snail invasion* in our garden on a rainy day.  Made several shots, but in my opinion, this one's the best out of all of them. 

And with that, I'll stop my photography spam here for the next couple of days.


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## robbins.photo (Aug 6, 2015)

Fiji,

You've got some good stuff here, really.  Some interesting subject matter and some pretty nice shots overall.  If I had a suggestion it would be to do some reading on composition.  Do a google search for example on the "Rule of Thirds", familiarize yourself with the "rules" for composing pictures and then use the "rules" that work best for each photograph to give you the best composition.  In some cases you'll probably find that you'll end up "breaking" all the "rules" too, but that's ok.  Really it comes down to what produces the best, most interesting final result.


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## Raj_55555 (Aug 6, 2015)

I just love the first two, great work Fiji!


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 7, 2015)

@robbins.photo: Thank you very much for the tips!  I always thought there was a little something off in a few of my pictures, but because I'm a total noob, I could never put my finger on it. I'll see that I'll read into all the things you listed, and make use of them during my next shoot, whenever that will be. 

@Raj_55555: Thank you kindly, I'm glad you like them!


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## robbins.photo (Aug 7, 2015)

Fiji-Fujii said:


> @robbins.photo: Thank you very much for the tips!  I always thought there was a little something off in a few of my pictures, but because I'm a total noob, I could never put my finger on it. I'll see that I'll read into all the things you listed, and make use of them during my next shoot, whenever that will be.
> 
> @Raj_55555: Thank you kindly, I'm glad you like them!



No worries, always happy to help.  Big thing is to just enjoy shooting.  As long as your happy with the final outcome, that's all that really matters.


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 9, 2015)

Here are my two newest pictures, shot them in my garden because apparently, all kinds of invertebrates love it there. 

#1: A couple of *Forest Bugs* (_Pentatoma rufipes_). Not as happy with this picture as I am with the one below, because some parts of their bodies are out of focus. It's been really hot outside though, we have almost 40°C (104°F) here these days and I just didn't have the nerves to try and make this look right or at least a little bit better. xD



 

#2: Black *White Cross Spider* (_Araneus diademata_). I've never seen them in black before, only in brown. (Posted one of those before.) It threw its front legs in the air when it saw me approaching, almost as if to tell me to stay away. Quite the aggressive lil' bugger, this one. But beautiful nontheless.


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## Overread (Aug 9, 2015)

What camera and lens did you use for these shots and did you use flash? In addition do you know what the aperture was for both (shutter speed and ISO helps too). The more detail you give the better one can give feedback (check the link in my signature its got one to a good resource on how to post for critique).


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 9, 2015)

Overread said:


> What camera and lens did you use for these shots and did you use flash? In addition do you know what the aperture was for both (shutter speed and ISO helps too). The more detail you give the better one can give feedback (check the link in my signature its got one to a good resource on how to post for critique).


_Camera + lens used:_ Sony SLT-A58 + DT 3.5-5.6/18-55 SAM II, 0.25m/0.82ft, ⌀55 (I wrote that at the very top of the thread, thought that was enough, haha! I'll remember adding it to each new post from now on.)

I didn't use flash, and I'm too much of a noob to understand much about shutter speed and ISO yet. I think I have the ISO on automatic though, which - I know - is bad. But so far, it worked well enough for me. I'm still in the process of understanding how my cam even works, I probably know as little as 20% of what it can really do.


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## robbins.photo (Aug 9, 2015)

Fiji-Fujii said:


> Overread said:
> 
> 
> > What camera and lens did you use for these shots and did you use flash? In addition do you know what the aperture was for both (shutter speed and ISO helps too). The more detail you give the better one can give feedback (check the link in my signature its got one to a good resource on how to post for critique).
> ...



Nothing wrong at all with having the ISO on auto - I always have mine set that way.  If I need the ISO to be lower I can adjust either lower my shutter speed or increase my aperture accordingly.   Makes things a whole lot simpler since I only have to adjust two parameters and the camera sets the third for proper exposure.

Ok, so start with aperture.  The lower the number, the more open your lens is and the more light it lets in (yes, it seems backwards but they are actually fractions, so the higher the number the smaller your aperture and the less light that goes through the lens to the sensor).  Lower apertures let in more light, which allows you to shoot at lower ISO's when you don't have as much light available.  Think of whatever point you choose to focus on as being on a plane that is horizontal with your camera's lens.  Anything on that plane will also be in focus.  As you move either closer too or further away from that plane, the more out of focus things become.  Lower depth of fields mean that the further away you get from that plane, the less in focus things become.  If you "stop down the lens", or raise the aperture number, it lets in less light - which means you need more light or a higher ISO to get the same exposure.  However it also increases your depth of field,  so objects that are further away from the plane of focus will be more in focus than the would have been if you'd shot with a lower aperture number.

Shutter speed - the higher the number, the less time the shutter stays open.  Lower shutter speeds, the shutter stays open longer and more light gets tot he sensor as a result.  Higher shutter speeds let in less light, but they also result in stopping any motion, helping to minimize or eliminate camera shake, and often result in sharper photos.  So it becomes a trade off, you end up balancing your shutter speed with your ISO depending on the shooting conditions for best result.


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 9, 2015)

robbins.photo said:


> Fiji-Fujii said:
> 
> 
> > Overread said:
> ...


Oh, wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this to me!  Very much appreciated. So, all I need to understand now is where on the cam monitor those numbers show. Are there any threads in this forum that can help me with my Sony A58, how to adjust it and so on? 
I admit, I have only skimmed through the various threads (by FAR not all of them) a little bit, commented here and there, posted some of my own stuff, but haven't had the time to actually read into everything I actually need to know. I got the impression that Sony cams aren't very well liked, I don't really get it but I have absolutely no clue as to which cams are good and which are bad. And even so, I invested a lot of money (for my standards) into that cam I use, so I wanna make the best out of what I got.


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## robbins.photo (Aug 9, 2015)

Fiji-Fujii said:


> Oh, wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this to me!  Very much appreciated. So, all I need to understand now is where on the cam monitor those numbers show. Are there any threads in this forum that can help me with my Sony A58, how to adjust it and so on?
> I admit, I have only skimmed through the various threads (by FAR not all of them) a little bit, commented here and there, posted some of my own stuff, but haven't had the time to actually read into everything I actually need to know. I got the impression that Sony cams aren't very well liked, I don't really get it but I have absolutely no clue as to which cams are good and which are bad. And even so, I invested a lot of money (for my standards) into that cam I use, so I wanna make the best out of what I got.



I wouldn't say Sony cams aren't "well liked", the guys that own them seem to be almost fanatically devoted to them... lol.  I would say there are not as commonly used as say Nikon or Canon.  I'm a Nikon shooter myself, but I would imagine the Sony probably has an info screen that will show you the shutter speed, iso and aperture settings.  On my Nikon it comes up in the viewfinder at the bottom, my guess is your Sony is probably similar.

Usually there will be at least one "command" dial that will allow you to adjust one parameter - The A58 manual has a pretty good section on how to use either Aperture or Shutter priority mode:

http://www.manualslib.com/manual/470177/Sony-Slt-A58.html?page=92#manual


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 9, 2015)

robbins.photo said:


> Fiji-Fujii said:
> 
> 
> > Oh, wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this to me!  Very much appreciated. So, all I need to understand now is where on the cam monitor those numbers show. Are there any threads in this forum that can help me with my Sony A58, how to adjust it and so on?
> ...


Thanks for linking me that manual, I'll download it asap and see that I work through it when I have enough time. My boyfriend jokingly said I would need something like "How to use a cam for dummies" but I think I can handle the actual manual by now.  I might be a bit slow sometimes but I'm not stupid, haha!

In any case, just wanna let you know, I really appreciate your advice and help very, very much! Glad to have found this place, I didn't expect to get so many useful tips and links on like, what, my 3rd day after I registered.


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## robbins.photo (Aug 9, 2015)

> Thanks for linking me that manual, I'll download it asap and see that I work through it when I have enough time. My boyfriend jokingly said I would need something like "How to use a cam for dummies" but I think I can handle the actual manual by now.  I might be a bit slow sometimes but I'm not stupid, haha!
> 
> In any case, just wanna let you know, I really appreciate your advice and help very, very much! Glad to have found this place, I didn't expect to get so many useful tips and links on like, what, my 3rd day after I registered.



Happy to help.  In general when I shot a camera with only one command dial (in my case the Nikon D5100 and then later D5200) I'd use shutter priority mode the most, since I was shooting stuff that moved and I wanted to be able to adjust my shutter speed quickly if needed.  I would use aperture priority for things like landscapes or portraits where I wanted to be able to control my DOF.

Big advantage to a camera with two command dials, like the D7100 I have now, I can set it in manual mode - let the camera pick the ISO, one dial allows me to adjust aperture and the other shutter speed, so I can adjust both on the fly.  Makes life a whole lot easier, but you can still get some really outstanding shots in aperture or shutter priority mode..


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## Overread (Aug 9, 2015)

Fiji-Fujii said:


> Overread said:
> 
> 
> > What camera and lens did you use for these shots and did you use flash? In addition do you know what the aperture was for both (shutter speed and ISO helps too). The more detail you give the better one can give feedback (check the link in my signature its got one to a good resource on how to post for critique).
> ...



AHhhh yes you did - I mistakenly clicked "Last post" when viewing the thread so I only for a moment saw the most recent post and thus missed the rest. 


I second the view to start getting into the priority modes. In my experiences aperture priority mode is generally easier to get a handle on controlling; but both are very valid. The key is to learn how to understand aperture, ISO and shutter speed and how they affect your shot and relate to each other. From there choosing the mode you want to use is up to you and the situation and what you want from the shot - I would say learn to use aperture priority, shutter priority and manual mode. With those three modes you can do whatever you want and if you can use all three then what you use is your choice.

There's a huge wealth of information on how to learn exposure for photography; though the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is an often recommended good introductory book to the subject and all that is possible; it also has nice case studies you can try at home. 



For what you're showing interest in; insects and bugs and such, chances are you've got your eye on getting a macro lens at some point (the fact that you can actually ID most bugs suggests to me that you've more than a passing interest in them). Till that point you might want to look out for a set of extension tubes. These fit between camera and lens and reduce the minimum and maximum focusing distances; the result is that you can't focus very far, but you can also focus a lot closer - and thus get a much more magnified photo.
There are two kinds of extension tubes on the market; the ultra cheap which have no metal contacts; and the more expensive which do. You want the latter kind (otherwise you can't use the aperture on the lens which is a nightmare to work with); a good set shouldn't be bank-breaking but will let you get closer and then you'll really start having macro fun. 


* Note "bulb" is a mode some cameras have; others have it as part of the shutter function. It's another way to control the camera for long exposures; basically when the shutter speed will be into seconds or minutes.


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 12, 2015)

@robbins.photo: Okay, I'll see to it that I get a better understanding on things asap. Still need to go through how composition works, too. 

@Overread: I wish I could get me a macro lens but those lenses are pretty expensive, as far as I'm aware of, and I'm still studying at university and only work 10 hours right now, so I really can't afford it at this point. Thanks for telling me about extension tubes, though. I might look into that, depending on how much it'll cost me. xD


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## Overread (Aug 12, 2015)

Kenko make good 3rd party extension tubes and there are other brands out there. Since the tube has no glass within it they are lot easier to build and thus 3rd party is a very valid option (esp as many own brand companies overprice on extension tubes to use them to help generate profit).

Macro lens wise they can be expensive and I'm not 100% sure what is available in the Sony mount. Sigma and Tamron might do them in sony mount; if so the Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro and Sigma 70mm f2.8 macro and 105mm f2.8 macro would be good options to look at. Note the Sigma 105mm has a new OS edition which is optically not that different, but which has OS (stabilization in the lens); but second hand copies of the previous version would be well worth a look at.


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