Monday, 9 November 2015

'Probable' Common Darter Nymph

I had a session last weekend at a site near Reculver where I spent some time seeing what dragonfly and damselfly nymphs I could find. In a very shallow area covered by some weed, I managed to find c10 Darter nymphs, probably Common Darter but Ruddy Darter cannot be ruled out as they are so similar in appearance. That evening, I had a photo session with my indoor tank and after setting up with prepared water and a few soaked leaves, I spent some time trying to capture some photographs. These nymphs were only about 1cm in length and made it quite tricky for the Sigma 150mm macro lens to produce something of any quality. Again, this is where I think I need a 100mm macro lens to produce some better quality images but I was quite pleased with the results considering the size of the nymphs. I'm sure now the dark evenings are here that I will spend some more evenings passing the time away photographing what nymphs I can find on my travels. 





'Probable' Common Darter Nymph
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8 comments:

  1. Wilma9 November 2015 at 14:29

    Great work, Marc. They have a somewhat appealing ugliness.

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    1. Marc Heath9 November 2015 at 15:30

      In their own way, they are quite attractive!! A tricky subject to ohotograph, thats what I do know.

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  2. Warren Baker9 November 2015 at 15:53

    Not sure a 100mm Macro would help you that much Marc, you may be able to get a closer minimum focus, but the depth of field gets even worse. Maybe it's better to to be further away and then crop the images ? All good fun ! :-)

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    1. Marc Heath9 November 2015 at 16:02

      I'm sure for the close in head shots, it would record more detail than the 150mm but as you say, its all good fun trying to get some sort of image.

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    2. Warren Baker9 November 2015 at 16:27

      Canon 100mm maco on the Xmas list then Marc LoL :-)

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  3. Bob Bushell9 November 2015 at 22:26

    Nice one Marc. Your shooting gets better and better.

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  4. The Herald12 November 2015 at 07:32

    Super images as always Marc, the nymphs have a style and beauty that's all their own, don't they?

    You mention the Canon 100mm Macro lens....I've been using one for a couple of years now, originally to take images of butterflies and wild flowers, with very pleasing results. This year I've been captivated by the diversity and sheer beauty of insects (I've got the bug, you might say!) and have been using the lens together with my 50D and MR-14 EX 2 ring flash. Considering the small size, and 'flightiness' of the subject and the need to hand hold the camera, I've been extremely pleased with the results. Of course DOF is always a problem(!!) and a good degree of cropping is needed to achieve a final image.

    You might want to pop over to my blog site - threecountiesherald.blogspot.co.uk and have a look at what a photographer of my meager talents can achieve...I'm sure that you would do much better? I hope this is of some help?

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    Replies
    1. Marc Heath12 November 2015 at 18:28

      Many thanks for your kind words. Will add your blog to my list.

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