Photo 365: Day 168 – Japanese Beetles
By: Sasi (unsunburnt.com)
Tags: BR-2A, d70, nikkor 28mm, nikon d70, photo 365, reverse ring adapter
Category: photo 365
| Aperture: | f/1 |
|---|---|
| ISO: | 260 |
| Shutter: | 1/12 sec |
| Camera: | NIKON D70 |
It’s summer and Japanese Beetles are here 
One good thing about these nasty beetles – they only live for 2 weeks. So this evening I was on a mission to shoot Japanese Beetles. In particular, I want to make use of my BR-2A reverse ring adapter.
It was quite sunny outside and decided to have this shot indoors. So I had to catch one that won’t move much and found one little beetle that wasn’t moving much – perhaps he fed too much on the leaves.
I already had my camera set on the tripod with Nikkor 28mm lens reverse mounted. So had this beetle rest on a bark mulch and had him move in front of the reverse mounted lens until he was on focus – it’s a bit of a challenge with the reverse mounted lens as things go out of focus within few centimeters.
Took about 30 shots and of those, I liked this one the best.
10 comments on “Photo 365: Day 168 – Japanese Beetles”
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I’m not sure I understand the technique but you’ve captured great color and a lot of texure. I didn’t even realize they had that kind of texture and color in their bodies. Probably cause I run the other way when I see them. LOL
Sandra, Perhaps I should post a picture of reverse mounted lens on my camera body to better understand this technique…
Interesting shot.
I love the colors and texture on the beatle. It’s interesting your blog color scheme matches the beatle nicely. Were you shooting this with auto focus on? I discovered it is better to use manual when shooting macro. I can focus on the areas I wanted better with manual.
Emily, I was shooting this in full manual mode – you can not shoot auto in reverse ring setup. And it’s quite a bit of challenge to set the focus right with reverse ring set-up aka poor man’s macro. Hence the beetle’s head is a bit blurry but it’s 2:1 macro.
Nice done.
Is that actually your reflection that I see on the part after his head?
Yes; it’s reflection. But it isn’t mine but it’s the camera
the colours are gorgeous – almost metallic. A tough job to focus for sure, I do like the extreme blur at the edges – did you try with a faster shutter speed or flash?
Jo, this was shot @800 ISO with natural window lighting.
Well done, Sasi. I don’t think I’d have the patience for the reverse mount thing. Nice color and texture.