Tag Archives: photography

My MT-24EX flash diffuser

Posted on December 27, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

When I purchased my insect macrophotography rig two summers ago, I already knew that one of the biggest challenges I would face (besides a steep learning curve) was lighting.  While it is possible to do insect macrophotography using only natural light, this … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Cleaning Tiger Beetles

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

This is Cicindela scutellaris (festive tiger beetle), one of the six species of tiger beetles that we found last September at Monroe Canyon in the Pine Ridge area of northwestern Nebraska.  The red elytra and green head and pronotum are characteristic of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

The “best” Eleodes suturalis

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Testing with my new diffuser setup¹ continues. I’ve kept this “sutured” clown beetle (Eleodes suturalis) alive since last July as a terrarium-mate with my Great Plains giant tiger beetles (Amblycheila cylindriformis). The first photos I took of it in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Amblycheila cylindriformis on white

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

It’s been four months now since I went to the Glass Mountains of northwestern Oklahoma on a hunch to look for Amblycheila cylindriformis (Great Plains giant tiger beetle).  The five adults that I brought back from that night are still alive in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Flash solutions for the beautiful tiger beetle

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Recently I’ve been trying some different lighting and flash diffusion techniques with the Cicindela pulchra adults I brought back from South Dakota (see previous post).  While the beetles themselves are certainly among the most spectacular tiger beetles I’ve ever seen, I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Cicindelidae, Coleoptera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

…the “better” Eleodes suturalis

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

As I mentioned in my previous post, I really wasn’t satisfied with the photographs I took of the clown beetle, Eleodes suturalis, that I brought back from Oklahoma. I had placed the beetle in a terrarium of native soil and taken … Continue reading →

Posted in Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Lens and lighting comparisons

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

I’ve had my macrophotography rig for one year and a summer now, and while I still hesitate to regard myself a bona fide insect macrophotographer, I’ve learned a lot, feel I’m on the right track, and have had immeasurable fun … Continue reading →

Posted in Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

New blogs of note

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Ted C. MacRae

Every now and then, I like to feature some of the more interesting blogs that I’ve encountered recently. This update features six blogs – five dealing with entomology and one dealing with herpetology. Aphonopelma: Tarantulas of the United States is … Continue reading →

Posted in [No taxon] | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments