Nest Building by Weaver ants

Four workers holding leaf for weaver ant nest

My garden has several nests of weaver ants(Oecophylla smaragdina). Even though I have captured their closeups and nests, after it was constructed, I wanted to witness and capture the nest building steps of this brilliant insect architect. After stalking several nests and getting bitten by their workers, I was finally able to get a good … Read more

Araneophagic behavior in Plexippus petersi

Araneophagic behavior in Plexippus petersi

Jumping spiders are a fascinating group, making up the largest family of spiders in the world. They are as diverse as birds with a range of complex behaviours which have allowed them to successfully adapt to a wide variety of habitats, globally. Their remarkably well developed eyes give them better vision than that of any … Read more

Leucage Orb-Weaver

Leucage Orb-Weaver

I found this beautiful Orb-Weaver also known as Silver Orb Spider (Leucauge species) in my garden. I have used Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM using 36mm Kenko extension tube. This whole setup is illuminated by Canon MT-24EX macro twin light flash. Leucauge spider is from the family … Read more

How to Get Sharper Close-Ups

Sarcophagidae Flesh Fly

One of your biggest goals in macro and close-up photography, is to draw attention to your subject. You want to make subject to really stand out. One way to achieve that is to make it the sharpest part of the image, so as to attract viewer’s attention. Here are few simple ways to achieve sharp … Read more

Green Tortoise Beetle – Cassida circumdata

Green Tortoise Beetle - Cassida circumdata

I found this Green Tortoise Beetle (Cassida circumdata) in my garden last Sunday. I was using Canon EOS 5DS R with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM illuminated by Canon MT-24EX macro twin light flash. My homemade plastic diffuser was used to diffuse the light. Despite my best effort you can see some specular … Read more

Explore your Shooting Habits Using Lightroom Dashboard

Lightroom Dashboard

Most of us are self proclaimed Adobe Lightroom addicts. While Lightroom can search images stored inside the catalog, isn’t it nice to see your photographic statistical data stored in that catalog? Have a look at the new Lightroom Dashboard, a free online utility that you can access directly from your browser which can reveal about … Read more