Field Trip to Mandai!

Testing out my 'new' Mirrorless Camera. Can you spot the Caterpillar?

I have been wanting to try out this new spot since last year but could not find the appropriate time. The last time I was there, i spotted a tarantula (Selenocosmia cf. javanesis) and immediately I knew this place had potential. In the brief 2 hours that we were there, we found an abundance of invertebrates, although a good bulk managed to flee before we could even place our eyes onto the viewfinder. We will definitely be back again, probably at night the next time; Bugs are less shy then. :)

Here are some of the shots, of which, many were experimental. This is the beauty of macro photography, or any form of photography, for that matter - Find a subject, interpret it any way you want (ethically, of course), snap a photo, and make it your own. Don't be afraid to push your equipments to its limits and remember to have fun while you're at it!

1. Blue Nawab Larva (Polyura cf. schreiber).

2. Shot from the back, accentuating its "crown".

3. Very Majestic-looking 'beast'.

4. Time for some back-lighting fun!

5. Never be afraid to experiment with your flash! You will never know what you will get. :)

6.  For example: The 'ghosting' or flaring that you see in this picture was deliberate on my part. To obtain this 'dreamy-looking' shot, i handheld the flash (undiffused) directly underneath the twig, facing it slightly towards the camera.

7. I absolutely enjoyed shooting this caterpillar. Very photogenic, indeed!

8. Another attempt at back-lighting. For me, it is all about the feel of the photo. I am very conscious of that, each time I compose for a shot and snap a picture.

9. Very Epic-Looking caterpillar, if you ask me. :)

10. Another caterpillar we found that day, that seemed to be mimicking a twig. Pretty cool-looking.

11. You can back-lit just about anything but in my opinion, orb weavers make one of the best candidates due to its translucent body. Here is a tiny Aranae, shot with the flash fired from the side.

12. Too bad I didn't have the time to adjust my settings. One snap and it was gone. :(

13. While it looked like the commonly seen Epeus flavobilineatus, this Epeus sp. is mostly yellow instead of green. A subspecies or a totally new species perhaps?

14. Compare him with the spider below - see the difference?

15. The "real McCoy". Epeus flavobilineatus with the familiar all-green coloration.

16. I personally love to experiment with aperture settings and applying (often ridiculous) Depth-of-Field (DoF) to my shots to create a unique look. Commonly photographed subjects suddenly appear so different! Remember, it is all about the "Feel".

17. He was obviously trying to flex for me, right here. :D

18. This jumper was busy spinning its web when I decided to drop by to say hi. Very tiny, probably 5mm in legspan.

19. Another tiny jumper, probably from the genus Pancorius. I absolutely love jumpers for the perpetually-shocked look.

20. Jumpers are naturally very inquisitive and loves to explore everything around them, in this case, my "huge" lens!

21. I was shooting this Robberfly (<15mm) when I noticed that it was feeding. Check out its tiny prey!

22. This Springtail (?), <5mm, could not stop moving in circles! I was able to freeze it with a fast shutter-speed.

Dude, what's up with the Duckface?

This is my macro-buddy, Manoj, who apparently loves taking selfie when I needed him the most! Thank God for a tiny mirrorless set-up, where I am able to take backlit shots by myself - Camera in one hand and flash in another.  :)

Want to see more pictures and videos of these amazing creatures, taken with a mirrorless camera? Click here.