Royal, take a moment and look at this "photo taking" box..................

[Kelley (Texas)]

There was an camera ad by a company called RITZ Camera & Image in the Sunday paper. While thumbing through the ad, I spotted this "photo studio in a box" item. While there is no way that I would spend $99.99 for this thing, I figured that I could make one similar to it for just a few dollars.

You could take this concept and modify it to make a perfect bug macro photo cage. Rather than having an open front, change it to where it had a bottom and four sides with no top. The bottom could be plywood and the sides could be obscure plexiglass. Grass trimmings and sticks could be put into the bug cage to be used for background affect. You could mount a light or two on a small tripod to either shine thru the obscure plexiglass sides or from the top. This could be made small enough where you could place it on the kitchen table, put a few bugs in it, and take as many photos as your heart desired...it should be very difficult for the bugs to escape. Just an idea...Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

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[Sunny]

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[Sunny]

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[Royal]

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[Arkie John]

...you really don't need to give 100 bucks away.

Make your own just the way you see the box from stuff around the house. Now instead of using lights, put your "picture takin' box" on a small table and set it up under semi-bright open shade. It should work GREAT.

If, by chance you want a little more light, grab a piece of 1/4" plywood or a good stiff piece of cardboard and cover it with aluminum foil. This should be about 2-3' square.

Set your camera up on a tripod, and frame your photo. Have someone "bounce" natural light into the subject area by merely reflecting the light to the subject. You may have to turn the box to a certain orientation to the sun, but it WILL work. It DOES work and it makes for the most beautiful photographs.

To show depth, use the bounce board to make a stronger light from one side or the other of the photograph.

Lights are great, but they cannot compare to pure, natural open-shade light.

One more hint. If you want to photograph your coins for the insurance company, you will need to photograph the obverse and the reverse side of the coin at the SAME time. To accomplish this, find yourself a small mirror and place it behind the coin and adjust to where you can see both sides in your viewfinder. Using NATURAL light, there in no cipherin' out which Fstops go where. Just shoot and bracket your photos (use different F stops or shutter speeds til you get the desired affect.)

This is your free photo lesson for the day. <><

aj

 

[Sunny]

and did some beautiful work, too. Hey, Johnboy.....you never returned my call from day before yesterday!!!!!<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008_ZNxdm799YYCA' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_2_203.gif' alt='Steamed' border=0></a>

 

[Sunny]

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[Royal]

pretend I know something don't. I sure don't know much about anything but a little about lots of things.

My dang camera is on the fritz again. I just talked to Sony and they are gonna get in contact with me in the next couple days. I will never buy another Sony camera.

 

[General Ray]

good information in your post, when I take pictures of coins I always take them with natural light but never thought about using aluminum foil, what a great idea, thanks, I will save your post for future use

General Ray

 

[General Ray]

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[Kelley (Texas)]

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[Sunny]

idol and I thought you knew alot about EVERYTHING!<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008_ZNxdm799YYCA' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_11_6.gif' alt='ROTFL' border=0></a> It really is frustrating though, when you camera goes on the blitz and you use it as often as we do. Make them give you a new one! I love my Sony digital, but it still does not take as good of photos as my Rebel does!

 

[Arkie John]

If that doesn't do it, do like you did before...just get out the hammer!

aj

 

[Sunny]

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[Kelley (Texas)]

and it never worked...they either thawed out real fast or died from frost bite for being in there too long. I have not had very good luck with the bug macro picture taking, and Debbie does not want any more bugs in the house or her ice box. A few days ago when I took the flower macro photos at my neighbors house, I spotted a shining green bug about an inch long. It was in the dirt in the flower bed. Before I could catch it or even take a macro picture of it, her dog spotted it and ate it. This would have been a nice bug because it appeared that it could not run very fast...I think that I could have used a stick and made it run until it got tired, then place it on one of the flowers for taking a picture. Unfortunately, the dog beat me to the bug. It is probably best that I forget about bug macro photography until Debbie settles down...but I do wonder if that box idea would work? Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

Anything that Debbie does not know can not hurt her...I just may wait until she goes to bingo to try this again. I just want to get some photos like the type that Royal has posted. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[Arkie John]

...you will see the individual is photographying an inanimate object. It CAN'T move. WIth a box that small, it would be next to impossible to photograph insects. Even if they were half frozen, it wouldn't take 'em long to 'escape.'

Maybe...try flypaper.


aj

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

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[Royal]

that they and many other insects have holes along the sides of their abdomen, called spiracles or something like that. They breath through these holes, I seem to remember there are three or four on each side.

If you catch the bug and take a Q tip and dip it in alchol and apply it to the spiracles, it will kill them without any tramma. That way the bug will not have its guts squershed out like sometimes happens when Fred puts them to sleep.

It has been over 50 year since I have tried this and maybe evolution has moved the spericals a little.