New WIP

[Loupey]

Found a total neat new subject for me - mud dauber wasps.

I watched these wasps flying back and forth collecting their little round balls of mud. Very entertaining as the wasps, with their handle-bar mustaches, pick out just the right mud, pick out the pebbles, and round up the mud. Like watching someone making a snowman.

Problem was, these are even faster than dragonflies and butterflies when they take flight with their cargo. They leap - literally - and their wingbeats are extremely fast. The last one, while out of focus, is at 1/1000s. I found even 1/1500s was too slow. Only at 1/2000s was I able to freeze the action.

Even if it was only parts of the wasp

Will go back to try to get better shots - these sucky images are for entertainment value only

Work In Progress.

[SenorNikonMan]

They look like very interesting subjects. Have you considered using flash to freeze the motion of their wings? I used 4 flashes to take the hummingbird pic in my avatar and not only did they allow me to freeze motion but they also allowed me to stop down and get more DOF.

[Loupey]

Good point, SenorNikonMan. But you'll find that I'm an anti-flash guy in general.

Besides, I think the technical aspects of using flash would not work in these conditions. Bright open sunlight, fast subject, slow flash-synch - would produce a blurry wasp overlaid with a faint frozen image.

Definitely something to try if they still do this at sunset/sunrise.

[Loupey]

Took these during my lunch hour today. Since the 300mm with tubes did not work, I shot the first 2 with the 180mm macro. Again, the in-flight at 1/2000s. Still trying to work out the timing, prefocus position, and DOF.

No luck.

So I went the opposite extreme - pulled out the 28mm f/1.8 wide angle. Set the focus at about 8" in front of the lens, army crawled into position every time a wasp would return, stuck the camera straight out about 1" above the mud/water, tried to estimate the focus, and fired away.

Got closer. These too at 1/2000s - these two are uncropped.

Grass, no matter how dry it looks, still makes your clothes awfully damp if you lay on it long enough

Thanks for looking.

[Knight]

Dude these are truly awesome Captures, do these guys sting if you bother them? you sure were close to get these with your 28mm.