So you might have asked yourself how I managed to get a "studio" session with a snake, and the answer is that in this case it was really easy...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/250th sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

When you subject is the size of a quarter, it is really easy to take him into the studio for a photo shoot. The hardest thing about dealing with this snake was being concerned with his welfare - with how small it was, I really didn't want to inadvertently injure it.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/250th sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

Luckily, this little guy was full of character and was very cooperative, giving me a number of different poses and holding them while I repositioned to take the photos. I was able to use both the Canon 100mm and Canon MP-E 65mm macro lenses and get right up close to him without any issues.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/160th sec at f/22. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

After the studio session, I did take him out in the grass to hopefully get some more "natural" photos, but as soon as I set him in the grass, he quickly vanished into the grass and other than some fleeting flashes of him slithering through the grass I couldn't keep track of him. I was still happy to have gotten the chance to have the nice photo session with this little guy.

- Bill

I don't often get the opportunity to get "studio" photo shoots with snakes, but this guy was pretty cooperative. What he lacked in any kind of fancy pattern he made up for with expressive posing.

I experimented a bit with shooting without the flash and I really liked the results, but it was very difficult to get a clean crisp shot due to the slow shutter speed needed. I didn't want to push the ISO too far and start introducing too much digital noise, but I did manage to get one that I liked. The warm tones and the dramatic shadows really look cool. I still like the clean look of the subject against that nice clean white background, but the natural shot is nice too. I also with I could have got a few more shots with him sticking his tongue out, but alas...

I have a couple more to share from this session, but you'll have to wait till tomorrow for them.

- Bill

Don't remember the last time I posted some spiders, so....

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

- Bill

So many photos to get through, so little time... (well, I'm getting through them, but at a snail's pace... </pun>)

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/11. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

- Bill

I've been a bit remiss in posting new photos (and I still have a bunch to process as well), but here are a couple more frog photos...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/200th sec at f/16. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode. Image Stabilization on. ISO 400. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/50th sec at f/8. Image Stabilization on. ISO 400. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw

- Bill

So I often use a white background (it is really a white cardboard box lid) for my spider and insect photos. A little over a year ago, I caught this tiny little frog and gave it the same treatment and liked the results. Here's another shot from that set...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/250 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

Usually frogs aren't the easiest subjects to catch and bring to a "studio" to shoot, but I recently had two separate frogs that I managed to use this same technique with, and the results work very well if I do say so myself. There is something about the white backgrounds that I really enjoy for these little critters - to be able to remove the clutter of their environment and show off their patterns and personality. So here's a few more.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/200th & 1/160th sec at f/16 & f/32. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw

And just because I am feeling generous, here's a bonus shot. I was going to hold this back for another post, but I seem to have an abundance of stuff right now, so you get this extra cool shot in this post...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/160th sec at f/16. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw

Stay tuned as I have plenty more stuff to share.

- Bill

Ok - so the camera has a stack of photos that I need to process (frogs, bugs, car show, etc), but here's another one from a couple weeks ago to tide you over. This is a small moth called a Plume Moth. When not flying, these moths roll their wings up instead of folding them together over their backs - this results in this distinctive T-shape in their resting position. Their name comes from the fact that when opened, their wings appear to have multiple individual feathers or plumes, below you can see some of the trailers still extended from one of this moth's plumes...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/200 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

Hopefully I can get motivated to start getting all those photos off the camera soon and get them posted up here. There are some definitely cool things in there.

- Bill

It wouldn't be a sweep net foraging attempt without some spiders...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/200 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

- Bill

I recently took the sweep net out to see what I could find in the various tallish plants growing along our driveway. One thing I found was a nice little boll weevil. I took it inside and put it on the white background so I could really focus on its features.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, 1/200 sec at f/16. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX in ETTL mode. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

- Bill

So after Anya finished her shopping at the antique sale she went to (while I was visiting Sugarloaf Mountain), we decided to grab some lunch and take a bit of a walk along the C&O Canal at Point of Rocks, MD. We eventually found a picnic table and ate our lunch. As we were finishing up, this little guy stopped by to say hello...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/200 sec at f/16. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw

Surprisingly, a few minutes later, a female (I think of the same species) showed up...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/200 sec at f/16. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in eTTL mode. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw

I tried to play match-maker, and the male was putting on some decent displays (which I should have tried to get video of), but the female would have nothing of it and quickly ran off.

Regardless, it was an interesting encounter and chance to observe the mating rituals of such tiny little critters.

- Bill