# Creobroter Gemmatus



## Slinkytreekreeper (Feb 1, 2011)

So, I finally figured out how to be like the cool kids embedding pictures all over the place. Thanks for anyone who lent a hand.

It took me a few days before I dare take my eyes off them long enough to try and get em in the viewfinder but they seem super chill once the have a nice spot. I wish they were at the first instar for longer.


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## cuervo (Feb 1, 2011)

Great job nice pictures. :lol:


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## warpdrive (Feb 2, 2011)

gems are the best. they start off ultra small and full of energy. they can be so crazy at times. yet I wish they looked like they did at L1 for longer.

great photos btw. you did an awesome job with them for being so small.

Harry


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## hibiscusmile (Feb 2, 2011)

They are really neat looking!


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## Slinkytreekreeper (Feb 2, 2011)

Thanks for the comments guys, it's satisfying to finally have something to upload to the mantis community. I have some more to upload of them at L1 but will have to do it later when at home. I seem to be learning loads more about photography chasing these little dudes about, should have done it a year ago.  

Warpdrive - cheers man, that means a lot coming from you, your pics rock. How do you get so much DOF in your pics, is it a POS camera or an DSLR?

Cuervo - do you have a link to a larger version of your avatar, i'd love to have a look at it larger res if it's online anywhere.

Hibiscus - Thanks, they had a wash and blow dry just before the modeling session.  I'm not joking either


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## warpdrive (Feb 2, 2011)

I'm using a point and shoot, Canon G9.

the "G" line is more what pros use as a compact camera, and I've used them ever since I gave up on SLRs when my back went bad.

I do want to get a new DSLR for just macro photography, but sadly, everything I do want is still out of my price range...at least once you add in a good macro lens.

I shoot at F5.6 or if the subject just wont stay still (hello baby Creos), I shoot at F8.

it looks like you are using a DSLR and I highly recammend that you try shooting at F8 or F11...this does require a lot of light to do so, or a flash.

also, thanks for the complements on my photography.

Harry


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## Slinkytreekreeper (Feb 2, 2011)

warpdrive said:


> I'm using a point and shoot, Canon G9.
> 
> the "G" line is more what pros use as a compact camera, and I've used them ever since I gave up on SLRs when my back went bad.
> 
> ...


Hey Harry, thanks for the info, the small point and shoot have a way, way deeper effective DOF at the same magnifications as a DSLR with macro lens. I hear you on the dollar though, took me a year to save for the lens and then another year to learn how to use it, then you need light...

In general with macro I don't shoot smaller than F11 due to diffraction issues but I can push it to one full extension tubes set and F8-F11 if I have enough light. All my shots with greater than 1:1 magnification are done with extension tubes. The main challenge I have come across is as you say getting enough light without creating big shiny specular highlights.


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## warpdrive (Feb 2, 2011)

Slinkytreekreeper said:


> Hey Harry, thanks for the info, the small point and shoot have a way, way deeper effective DOF at the same magnifications as a DSLR with macro lens. I hear you on the dollar though, took me a year to save for the lens and then another year to learn how to use it, then you need light...


oh, I agree. a typical point and shoot does have more DOF due to the smaller censor on them. it's one of the reasons I'm not in a rush to run out and buy a DSLR. I also want to stick to canon bodys and glass so the prices are crazy. I also want to maybe buy a ring light as it would be quite helpful when shooting at F11 or F16.



> In general with macro I don't shoot smaller than F11 due to diffraction issues but I can push it to one full extension tubes set and F8-F11 if I have enough light. All my shots with greater than 1:1 magnification are done with extension tubes. The main challenge I have come across is as you say getting enough light without creating big shiny specular highlights.


without extention tubes, do you run into problems with specular highlights? and what tubes are you using? they might be of poor quality, yet my field "WAS" more in the line of action and sprorts photography so my knoladge of macro is limited at best.

Harry


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## Slinkytreekreeper (Feb 2, 2011)

Yeah man, the specular highlights come totally from a bare bulb for me, be it a cfl bulb close to focus with of a ring/speedlight. I really like the studio lights brightly lit look but it does get a little old if it's your only option. Anything shiny like beetles or the neck/back of the creos seem the hardest to control for me. It's what impressed me most about Igor's now famous Mantis and insect pics, he controlled the real well and still got an excellent exposure.

I agree on the canon glass although I'm not against anything else, that Nikon multi macro flash thing is beyond sick. The only reason I chose Canon was the ridiculous MPE-65m lens, nothing gets you that close with as much DOF and as much light unless it's a microscope and it's really hard to hand hold them. :blink: Plus changing magnifications is a quick twist, yum.

I thought the same about a ring flash too but it lasted about 2 days as every shot looked so damn flat, I much prefer a flash off the camera's axis. I have the cheap Delta, a cheapy knock off of the cheap Marumi one, lol

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Macro-Ring-Flash-Delta-DRF-14-C-CANON-450D-1000D-5D-/350361541126?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraFlashUnits_JN&amp;hash=item51932cda06

Check out these forum pages/galleries for some simply stunning macro shots, nearly all of the ones that appeal to me are never just ringflash, usually an off camera speedlite.

http://photomacrography.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=26&amp;sid=b442105e7788a82cdf0a42c9b925ae04 (for nature macro)

http://photomacrography.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=27&amp;sid=b442105e7788a82cdf0a42c9b925ae04 (for studio macro and beyond)

It's ok for the money I guess but you can't turn half off and it's not a full circle. It's only TTL (No manual power settings) which doesn't work for magnifications below 1:1 too well but the flash compensation on the camera gives you a couple of stops to play with. I use it with half covered and at higher magnifications and another slave that the ring flash sets off. I know you can spend less and get 3 to 4 times more power and loads of flexibility.

My tubes were also cheap ones that didn't let you change aperture or metering or talk to the lens at all, like these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UK-Macro-Extension-Tube-Ring-4-CANON-EOS-EF-DSLR-SLR-/220679082738?pt=UK_Photography_CameraLenses_Lens_caps_hoods_adaptors_ET&amp;hash=item33617f92f2

I did get a bit or reflection inside these when not using a lens hood but some black felt sorted that out, I just didn't trust the monkey metal with a lens, and hated using both tubes as there was just so much movement when stacked.

Then after about 8 months of not being able to change aperture without removing the lens while holding the little DOF preview button got too me and I bought the Kenko ones. It was gutting to have to pay that much for such a simple bit of kit when 200 quid could have gone towards shiny new glass. They do however work perfectly and I don't regret it at all.

kenko link:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kenko-Teleplus-Extension-Tube-DG-Set-Canon-EF-EF-S-/170591317740?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN&amp;hash=item27b808eeec


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## Slinkytreekreeper (Feb 2, 2011)

Once I knew they were pretty chill and there was only one left at L1 out of the four I just had to try some on my face  It felt really childish but excellent fun.


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## hibiscusmile (Feb 2, 2011)

hey, don't look now, but you got a bug on your nose :tt2:


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## Precarious (Feb 2, 2011)

Nice pics!


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## Slinkytreekreeper (Feb 5, 2011)

Some at L2, the molt is through the plastic though, looking at some of those exo terra glass cabs with the doors but I want some smaller, one nymph would never find his food.


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## warpdrive (Feb 7, 2011)

they are so small at this age. nice job with the close ups.

Harry


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## warpdrive (Feb 7, 2011)

Slinkytreekreeper said:


> Yeah man, the specular highlights come totally from a bare bulb for me, be it a cfl bulb close to focus with of a ring/speedlight. I really like the studio lights brightly lit look but it does get a little old if it's your only option. Anything shiny like beetles or the neck/back of the creos seem the hardest to control for me. It's what impressed me most about Igor's now famous Mantis and insect pics, he controlled the real well and still got an excellent exposure.
> 
> I agree on the canon glass although I'm not against anything else, that Nikon multi macro flash thing is beyond sick. The only reason I chose Canon was the ridiculous MPE-65m lens, nothing gets you that close with as much DOF and as much light unless it's a microscope and it's really hard to hand hold them. :blink: Plus changing magnifications is a quick twist, yum.
> 
> ...


thank you so much for your added thoughts. you were so helpful.

I just spent a $1k on some imports and misting systems on thursday or I'd be looking into getting some new camera gear. I also agree with the ringlight in that it does make your photos look quite flat and I do like some contrast in my photos...I'm sure I'll talk more about this with you as we seem to think alike.

Harry


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## Slinkytreekreeper (Feb 7, 2011)

Hey Harry, i'm guessing they ain't mantids then. Had my eye of a pair of Pygmy Chameleons for a while but I think camera stuff will probably come first, just have this compelling desire to get closer and closer and it's getting stronger :blink: 

Some L3 pics, pushed the aperture way too far trying to get more DOF to record the markings but it really hurt the quality. I knew my limits with this rig but still pushed it, hopefully I will learn this time.

I was lucky to catch this molt still hanging, this little guy was slashing away at it, I think he forgot he was just inside it.


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## Slinkytreekreeper (Mar 12, 2011)

An update on my Creos. They didn't really change much from L3 yet, still really small and compact. Pretty sure I have 4 girls so no chance of an ooth down the line, I guess I should have bought 15 instead of 4.











crop of the leg






my favorite shot of wee Angie so far, nailed the focus for her eyes and spikey raptor but had to stitch the top from a second shot to get the composition to look right. I guess this would be a panorama, not a stack.


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## lancaster1313 (Mar 13, 2011)

I love that last pic. She looks like she posed just for you!


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## patrickfraser (Mar 22, 2011)

Shhhhhh!


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## yen_saw (Mar 22, 2011)

Love the details, thanks for sharing


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## Slinkytreekreeper (Apr 3, 2011)

Cheers Yen I'm enjoying trying to capture the details, perfect little critters to practice photography with.

They have all molted to L6 now but here's a few pics of my only male while he was still L5 that I thought was actually female until recently, now he get's three ladies to choose from when the time comes. Awesome

















And a 2 frame stack that at first I liked and then the blurry front antennae between the sharp eye and back antennae got to me. Quite often with the creos one antennae is moving faster than the other or one still and one moving so I do get pics that look like this but seeing as though it was a stack I though i'd try and Photoshop another one in.

Anyway, please let me know if an of em look ok, does it look natural? Should I have just left it alone?

The 2 frame stack






The retouched one with added front antennae






Opinions appreciated as always.


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## MantisNation (Apr 4, 2011)

Your photos are beautiful! I miss my Creos, must get some in the future!!


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## Precarious (Apr 4, 2011)

That last pic is awesome! It's like "Shhhhhh!"


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## Slinkytreekreeper (Apr 5, 2011)

Thank you MantisNation

Which one looks more realistic, retouched or original?

I need to start working on my backgrounds more though, I think there's lots of room fro improvement there.


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