रुबाई - Rubaai: macro

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Shooting butterflies on Mobile

Shooting a butterfly on a mobile can be a tricky task considering the following issues:

Mobiles do not have a macro lens (especially 1:1) with a long focal length. This forces the shooter to go in close vicinity of the object which may disturb the butterfly. However in recent times, cameras do come with a macro lens, an adapter can also be added.
Mobile cameras do not have decent flash and the sensor. The absence does not capture the stunning colors a butterfly can have.
DSLR offers faster shutter speeds and hence needs a dedicated heavier external flash. Faster shutter speed is required when the butterfly is not seating calmly and very much active. For more details check this link - Shooting Southern Birdwing. Macro photography needs a lot many accessories for capturing a stunning shot, the list can be found here.

I have rarely used my mobile camera phone to shoot butterflies. However, while shooting on mobile I felt it handy especially when I am traveling and does not wish to carry the whole camera bag and dedicated lenses.

The following picture is of a small butterfly almost 2cm wide, small size butterflies do not fill the frame and photo needs to be cropped. Cropping is not good with an entry-level mobile camera. When the butterfly is seating on the ground and you need a perfect shot (with a blurry background and the plane of butterfly parallel to mobile) it becomes challenging. Holding a mobile is sometimes an issue.

The following picture is of a mid-size Popinjay butterfly (about 8 cm open wing width, i.e. wingspan), a commoner in the northeastern region of India. The photo is cropped and edited using Snapseed.

The following picture is the example of a low shutter speed problem, controlling which is difficult with mobile. Additionally the focusing issue. While shooting macro, we go too close to the object and end up focusing on the background of the subject. In the photo a common Mormon approaching (courtship) a blue Mormon butterfly near the host plant (lemon).

Same butterfly, Blue Mormon, I shot after a while. Such a clear shot was possible because the butterfly was seating quietly on the branch and its the second largest butterfly found in India.

Checkered Vanda

Checkered Vanda is a commonly occurring, native perennial orchid from India. It has a presence in many other countries neighboring to India as well, such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

Checkered Vanda is a medium to large sized orchid with a climbing stem. Leaves are linear, narrow, 3-toothed at the tip. The plant blooms with an inflorescence carrying 5 to 12, fragrant, long-lived flowers. Flowers are 4-5 cm across. The sepals and petals have undulating margins and are pale green, yellowish green or somewhat bluish with checkered lines of olive-brown on the inner surface [1]. The outer surface is white while the lip is violet-purple with a white margin, and usually deeper purple towards the tip.

Checkered Vanda is known for its medicinal use in curing dyspepsia, bronchitis, inflammations, piles, and hiccup.

Nomenclature:

Common name: Checkered Vanda, Vanda Orchid

Regional Names:
Bengali: rasna
• Hindi: वांदा Vanda, Nai, perasara
• Kannada: bandanike, badanika, jkeevanthige
• Marathi: aasna
• Oriya: ilkum
• Sanskrit: atirasa, bhujangakshi, dronagandhika
• Tamil: kantanakuli
• Telugu: chittiveduri, kanapabandanika
• Urdu: Banda

Botanical name: Vanda tessellata Family: Orchidaceae (Orchid family)

Synonyms: Epidendrum tessellatum, Vanda roxburghii, Cymbidium tessellatum

Reference:

[1] http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Checkered%20Vanda.html
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanda_tessellata

Oil and water

Setup for Oil and water:

Setting up to capture oil emulsified in the water certainly is fun and creative. With a simple setup explained below gives the opportunity for capturing infinite combinations of colors and patters at home. The philosophy of shoot is similar shooting smoke from scent-stick.

In a glass bowl/dish, mix equal amount of water and oil
Keep the bowl/dish at some height.
Keep a colorful paper/design with bright colors in the space between the bowl and table
Use flash to light the background i.e.the colorful paper
Shoot from top, perpendicular to the plane of the liquid to use least depth of field and maximum shutter speed. Higher depth of field may be avoided.

Tips for better results:

Use a dedicated macro lens and accessories
Clean the glassware before use
Use bright multi-colored paper / design for background. I used magenta bottle for some photos.
Try different backgrounds
Keep the water/oil mixture stirring periodically
Use a strong daylight - setup should be near a window
Shoot handheld, tripod might be irritating to handle since need to change the composition and place of interest frequently
However, take advantage of both.
Try using design on the glassware as well instead of simple plan glass
As always shoot RAW and edit them

Try to shoot from angles

"Oil in water" is different than "bubble of oils in water"

Try glassware with designs

Himalayan Punchinello

Zemeros flegyas flegyas Cramer, 1780

The Punchinello is a small butterfly found in South Asia and Southeast Asia that belongs to the Riodinidae family. The species is common in North India, specially in North East and Himalayan region. It exhibits both Dry and Wet season form.

http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sp/576/Zemeros-flegyas

Campus Nature Diary : Traveller's dower

Pluck not the wayside flower,

It is the traveller's dower;

A thousand passers-by

Its beauties may espy,

May win a touch of blessing

From Nature's mild caressing.

The sad of heart perceives

A violet under leaves

Like sonic fresh-budding hope;

The primrose on the slope

A spot of sunshine dwells,

And cheerful message tells

Of kind renewing power;

The nodding bluebell's dye

Is drawn from happy sky.

Then spare the wayside flower!

It is the traveller's dower.

Wayside Flowers by William Allingham

Campus of NIT Rourkela is now full of blooming garden-flowers. Winter on decline is the best season to watch some prettiest flowers around. Roses, Marie-gold, Dahlia and so many others ! Here is the close-up of few of them. Do comment your favourite.

A very happy new year 2015 to all ! Cheers and Enjoy :-)

Secrets revealed: How to choose the best background for photograph?

Shifting the angle of shooting without loosing the sharpness of object helps to choose the background. D7000 along with Nikkor 105 IF-ED VR macro lens is used.

Secrets revealed: How to choose background for photograph?

A better photo can be completely transformed into the best one, provided the background is chosen wisely. Here are some simple tips to get the best out of nothing, literally !

To keep object standing out of image, use contrasting color in the background.

Use a lens with longer focal length for portraits ( typically more than 150 mm) and use a genuine macro lens for the macro objects like flower and butterfly.

Longer focal length or macro lens held close to object blurs the background and expands it. Thus even a small object appears large which helps in choosing the background on shifting the angle of shooting.

Keep the f-number of the lens as low as possible. A compromise with the sharpness has to be made tough.

Lying down on the ground will help to choose its blue color as background

Sometimes a near by object (e.g. leaves, grass etc) can be moved behind the object to shoot to get the desired one.

Artificial cloth or paper can also be placed behind the object. The color of this dummy must be chosen carefully especially for natural objects. The shade should not look like an artificial ones.

Do use some elements which relates to the object being photographed. This makes photograph lively and tells a story to the viewer.

Dew Factor

Dew on the butterfly wings, lines below are the scales of butterfly

Odonata on the campus of NIT Rourkela

Some facts (Copied from [1] for readers benefit):

Odonata is an order of carnivorous insects, encompassing dragonflies (Anisoptera / Epiprocta) and damselflies (Zygoptera) .

Odonates are aquatic or semi-aquatic as juveniles. Thus, adults are most often seen near bodies of water and are frequently described as aquatic insects. However, many species range far from water.

They are carnivorous throughout their life, mostly feeding on smaller insects.

Eggs are laid in water or on vegetation near water or wet places, and hatch to produce pronymphs which live off the nutrients that were in the egg. They then develop into instars with approximately 9–14 molts that are (in most species) voracious predators on other aquatic organisms, including small fishes.

The nymphs grow and molt, usually in dusk or dawn, into the flying teneral immature adults, whose color is not yet developed. These insects later transform into reproductive adults.