SE Michigan wildlife

[mattb]

I was visiting my parents in Michigan over the weekend and got a few shots of the local wildlife.

I noticed a lot of the flowers had these little spiders waiting for an unsuspecting victim in them.

IMGP3983.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr

I saw this little snake swim across a pond and almost get eaten by a big fish. The fish pulled it under water but it reappeared a few seconds later and made it to shore. Then it wasn't very happy about me picking it up:

IMGP4422.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr

But I got a couple of decent macro shots of it before letting it go on it's way.

IMGP4429.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr


IMGP4447.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr

My son spotted this big beetle. I thought it might have been advertising for a mate or maybe defending it's territory.

IMGP4479.jpg by MattB.net, on Flickr

These were all (except the first snake image) shot with a Pentax K-x and Pentax-M 100mm f/4 Macro lens. That first snake shot was done with a Pentax DA 40mm Limited lens. All hand held except the flower shot. This old manual focus lens was discontinued in 1984 and I got it cheap on eBay a few months ago.

[paulnj]

very nice images

[mn shutterbug]

The macro of the snake head is really cool.

[calamospiza]

Nice macro shots. I have a macro lens but need how to do this better.

[mattb]

Thanks for the comments!
calamospiza, macro is fun and not that hard. Since you have the lens already you are on your way. Things to consider: camera support - a good tripod helps a ton, Stop down and do longer exposures for static subjects if the light is limited, use a flash (diffused) if you don't have a tripod or your subject is moving, manual focus usually works best, try moving closer/farther to get your focus correct, remember composition still matters, have fun!