Macro in breezy conditions ..

[operanut1972]

Is there no way of clamping the offending branch/leaf via croc clips and bendy arm off the tripod?

[PMG]

Originally Posted by operanut1972

Is there no way of clamping the offending branch/leaf via croc clips and bendy arm off the tripod?

Yes Steve thats another way of dealing with the problem Also making yourselves a 'wind break' out of garden canes or better light steel rods using high density clear plastic/polythene is very useful for cutting the breeze around flowers - particularly orchids which tend to be 'whippy' and blow around a lot - the polythene allows the background to show behind the plant but beware of reflections from it in sunlight!

Pauline

[Geoff F]

Windbreaks or plant clamps are something to consider for plants etc but not much use for nervous insects which would disappear during the set up process.

In which case I try to manually focus on a 'mid sway' point, with tripod, then click as the subject comes briefly into focus.

If this requires a higher shutter speed than the basic flash setting would allow I switch to the high speed flash option (Canon Speedlite) and try to stick with a fairly narrow aperture around F14.

[RobSutton]

I keep trying to think of ways to use the movement creatively - sometimes it works as in this one but I've got a lot of others which don't work as well. But I keep trying.



Maybe having the subject smaller with more space to move into and using a wider aperture to get just part of the shot in focus or allowing the web to blur in the wind and then freeze the shot using the second curtain flash setting that some cameras have. You might get a shot that shows the vibration of the web as something gets caught and still get enough of the spider sharp to show whats going on. Experiment!

The great thing about digital photography is that you can try things ad infinitum and perhaps end up getting that unusual "wow" shot we're all after.

[Bruce Williams]

I agree with you Rob, this approach really works well on this subject - a beautiful shot with a real sense of energy and movement!

Bruce