My Pretty Wings

I  haven't photographed dragonflies in a really long time so I wanted to get back to doing it because they really interest me.

They come in so many variations that it's sometimes difficult to keep track. Anyway this particular dragonfly isn't one of the more common ones in this area. Most people don't even know it exists and when they see pictures of it they think I've swapped colours or something like that.

With dragonflies you have to be slow and patient as they'll fly off at the smallest sign of trouble. The trick is to wait patiently without moving a lot in the same place as the dragonfly will invariably come back to it's old resting spot and then you can get a good picture.

Pretty In The Dark

Many people say I come up with unusual captions and I agree with them. Truth is my captions are actually the first words that pop into my head just before I write my daily blog post.

Anyway that's that. Now for today's picture. This little butterfly was in an overgrown part of our garden. I had just gone out to check the lock on the gate when I noticed this butterfly in the grass. So I got my torch out and tried to take a few pictures but ended up getting frustrated.

Finally I resorted to using the pop-up flash. I didn't want to use the pop-up flash (I had to manually make it "pop-up") because that would result in some really harsh light and I didn't want that. But that was all I had and it got the job done.

Quick tip. If you want a more diffused and soft light then place a sheet of paper in front of the flash and then make it fire. You'll end up with some really soft light. Remember that the paper does cut out some of the light so you might have to increase the flash power.

The Skies Around Us

Is the sky really around us? Not really, right? It's way, way, way up there. So then why does today's title read "The Skies Around Us". I'll explain that as soon as I show you the picture because let's be honest - most come here for the picture and not for some boring words from me.

I'm guessing you already know the reason, now that you've seen the picture. I went up to take a few pictures of the sunset and I couldn't help but notice the clouds that were just below that little (ok it isn't really "little" when you're are close to it) tower and then there were clouds above it as well, as if they were slowing engulfing the tower.

The clouds soon hid that tower from view, but not before I had taken this picture.

I must admit that I had to play around with a few sliders in Photoshop in order to get the picture to look even remotely like the real scene which I had witnessed.

Sinister Smile

We get a lot of frogs here so a picture of frog shouldn't me much of a problem right? Not really. For some reason the frogs here are super shy and a co-operative specimen is a rare find.

So I was happy when this little fellow decided that he would sit perfectly still while I went and grabbed the camera and a torch and then took a few pictures of it. I have God to thank for that :D

Plus the frog seemed to be literally smiling which was an added bonus. Next time I see this frog I'll let it know that it is now famous :D

I used the torch to light the frog up because it was really dark and I knew from past experience that the camera would have a problem auto-focusing. With the help of the torch the camera had no problem focusing and once I had locked the focus (by switching to Manual Focus) I switched the torch off and then took a few pictures using the built-in flash.

If you have an external flash then I would highly recommend that because the built-in flash gives out a really harsh light that sometimes ruins an otherwise perfect picture.

A King In Its Own Right

Have I ever told you that Oriental Garden Lizard's are really territorial? They will really go out of their way to defend their territory. So, if you are an intruder - BEWARE!

These lizards will give you a warning though, so be on the lookout if you are a trespassing male lizard. The males will do these little "push-ups" to warn another intruding male. If that intruder doesn't back off then they'll hash it out.

I always look out for such things because if I notice one lizard doing "push-ups" then I know there is another lizard nearby and that means more photo ops that I can't miss :D So, these creatures can actually be an asset to you.

Bugged

This again is one of the first 10 pictures I took when I got the camera back.

This little beetle was really busy. I don't really know what it was upto because I'm not sure whether beetles drink nectar or eat flowers. Do they?

It was gloomy day and thus the light was diffused which is pretty good for macro photography but since it was late in the evening the level of light was pretty low. I don't really like to use the built-in flash for macro shots because it produces really harsh shadows that don't really enhance the image most of the time. So I used a slow shutter speed and raised the ISO but not a great deal because noise is a massive problem with the SX50.

The challenge with nature photography is that most of the time you have to work with whatever light you can get and you have no control. It might take a while to get it right but it is worth it.

One Among Glass

This is the first Oriental Garden Lizard I saw after I got the camera back and I must say that I had to work really hard to get this picture as it was unusually shy.

First I tried going close and taking a picture but it kept putting its head down and hiding on the other side of the wall. I tried a couple of times and this method didn't work. So I had to change tactics.

I went back a little and stooped down so that the glass was blocking the lizard from seeing me. I then took a few steps before slowly standing up and taking this shot. It soon ran off and I didn't see it again that day. My back and legs hurt a lot but it was totally worth it. Right?

Btw I'm thinking of replacing the sky. What do you think? Should I do it or will it be too distracting?

A Private Meeting

Insects fascinate me. They are so tiny, yet there is so much to them that you could easily just stare at one and  find something new.

I went out to photograph some insects and I saw these two on a lemongrass leaf.

They didn't seem too bothered with me getting close and I was able to get a few shots before my arms started aching and my back hurt from bending down.

Remember, try and get the eyes in focus. Of course there are exceptions to this so it's upto you, the photographer, to decide what works best.

It's In The Eye

There are a few coconut trees in my mom's garden and unfortunately they haven't been yielding fruit but I still don't mind then there. Why? The truth is because they attract a lot of birds. For some reason birds love to come a rest on the branches of these trees and you know that I love birds so this also gives me an opportunity to get a few good pictures.

There is a particular branch that is drooping and I think it's time for it too fall off. Every morning I just go to the balcony and look out at the fields, the sky and just everything in general so it is a bonus when I see a bird there. This spotted dove decided to sit on the branch that was drooping and this meant that it was closer to the balcony than usual.

I was able to grab my camera before it flew off and I was able to get this close up of the bird.

Notice that the eye is in focus. If it wasn't in focus you probably wouldn't be seeing this picture today because the eyes are very important.

Blooming Glory

I really love flowers. They are really really beautiful and so pretty.

This is a dhalia from my mom's garden. As I mentioned before, I try and photograph things for uncommon (weird?) angles just to add a little interest. I could have photographed this flower straight from the top but we have all seen that angle countless times and I just wanted to try something different and see if it worked.

I quite like how this looks. Now this doesn't mean that I won't photograph flowers straight from the top, I will but I will also be taking quite a few shots from this angle. This adds a bit of variation and doesn't make things monotonous.

If you are going to try this then I suggest that you focus on the center of the flower.

Upside Down

Yes, yes! I know the titles are getting worse. I apologise....sincerely.

Anyway I went out to the garden to shoot this spider but it was really shy or just too scared of me to stay in one spot for more than one second. I did manage to get a few shots but I had to search for a different subject to shoot because it was soon gone. I did find this ladybird (or ladybug...whatever you want to call it) and was able to get this shot. It was really windy and that made matters worse.

Truth be told I didn't see this ladybird/bug in the beginning. I only say it after I had taken the first picture of this plant. Fortunately it didn't move too much which did help a lot especially since the plant was swaying in the breeze.

Macro photography can be frustrating but you shouldn't give up. Keep at it. You will end up throwing a lot of pictures but if you have a digital camera then there shouldn't be a problem.

Anyway hope you are having a good day :)

Blooming Ahead

I guess I don't come up with good captions when I tired - for example today's title.

Ah well it is the picture that is more important than the title so here it is...

Yes, that is a flower :P I don't know what kind of a flower it is but it is pretty. It's a pretty small plant but with loads of flower on it which makes it pretty beautiful.

I didn't get the amazing depth of field in-camera because it is impossible with the SX50 HS so I used Photoshop. The Lens Blur filter in Photoshop does wonders. I've used it before and I love it. You should try it out too. Don't overdo it though because then it just looks fake.

All you have to do it select the area of the picture you want to add the blur to and then apply the lens blur filter to it. Try it out. If you have questions you know I'm always ready to answer them :)

Hanging On A Leaf

Yes, I know I'm getting worse with these titles/captions. I honestly can't think of good ones...or I'm just too lazy. It's probably the latter.

Whenever I'm bored at home and can't go out I grab my camera and go out into the garden where there are these bushes/shrubs. I always (well, almost always) find a spider or some other bug to shoot and I wasn't disappointed on this visit either. I saw a spider which was really shy and then some bugs (which I'll share over the next few days) and also this little insect. I've seen the same species countless times but I can't seem to ID them.

Anyway the reason I mentioned lemongrass is because this thin, long leaf is lemongrass. You have to be careful when you are moving among these - specially when you stick your hand with the camera into the plant because the edges of the leaves are razor sharp - I've cut my fingers quite a few times in the past.

Always remember that in macro photography the depth of field is really shallow so you'll want to hold the camera as steady as possible so that what you want will be in focus and not come out blurred.

Get In There

Another flower picture. I hope you are not getting tired of these pictures.
This is another flower that bloomed on the same plant yesterday's picture.

I choose this particular caption because of the inset on the flower. Yes! There is an insect there if you look closely. It's a tiny green one. If you didn't notice it the first time, you are not alone. Most people who saw the image never noticed the insect until I pointed it out. This to me is a little strange because the green really stands out from the pink of the flower.

If you look at the labels that I've assigned to this post you'll notice that this picture was taken using Canon's latest superzoom camera - the PowerShot SX50 HS. This is a pretty good camera but it doesn't have a wide aperture and so you can't really get a shallow depth of field. So, how did I get such a shallow depth of field in this picture? One word - Photoshop. I used the "lens blur" filter. If this spoils the image in your opinion then I'm fine with that because everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that as well. I think it made this look better. The background was already blurred but certain stems near the petals of the flower weren't as blurred as you see them now so I think the filter enabled the flower to really stand out. This is another tip so you can try it out on some of your pictures. Don't overdo the blur though because it WILL ruin the picture and make it seem unrealistic.

That's it for today. Hope you liked the picture and learned something as well.

Take care :)