How is even possible to get shots like this?

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AndyG123

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Andy
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https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsf***ingLit/comments/70kzpf/wasp_carrying_its_dinner/
 
8bsdq0wlrcmz.jpg
 
Technically not that difficult - macro lens, flash, triggering device :D

But actually doing it is rather more difficult. Basically knowledge (of subject and photography), experience, patience. And then after a few hundred complete misses and a handful of near misses, you might get one bullseye.

Check out Stephen Dalton, a pioneer of photographing insects in flight in the 1970s. His work was revolutionary and has never been bettered, and in those days he had to build an astonishingly complex custom rig that took years, cost a fortune and was more than a little dangerous. And shooting film of course. Today you can do pretty much the same thing with affordable off-the-shelf kit - in theory ;)
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/gallery_87320.html
 
Controlled environment at a guess. Possibly a Canon with magic lantern installed because it has many advanced features and options like trap focus or whatever you would use.

There is no proof it is outdoors
 
Stephen Dalton is one of my photography heros. I was bowled over by his work when it first appeared in a Sunday supplement in the early 70s, and TBH I still am. I have most of his books.

A famous one
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794816

One of my favourites
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794853

Another favourite, taken in his back garden by automatic trigger while he was out shopping
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794856.html

A classic
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794818.html

This is one of Dalton's early personal favourites, for its simple beauty. And bear in mind that little fella is travelling bluddy fast!
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794873
 
1. Kill a fly.
2. Chill/anaesthetise a wasp.
3 superglue wasp to fly.
4. Fix fly to a pin or wire on far side
5 . Wait for wasp to come round and possible blow a fan on it to get it to fly.

Not saying I would do this but someone could.
 
HoppyUK said:
Stephen Dalton is one of my photography heros. I was bowled over by his work when it first appeared in a Sunday supplement in the early 70s, and TBH I still am. I have most of his books.

A famous one
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794816

One of my favourites
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794853

Another favourite, taken in his back garden by automatic trigger while he was out shopping
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794856.html

A classic
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794818.html

This is one of Dalton's early personal favourites, for its simple beauty. And bear in mind that little fella is travelling bluddy fast!
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794873
Click to expand...
Do his books tell you how to take similar photos?
 
sphexx said:
1. Kill a fly.
2. Chill/anaesthetise a wasp.
3 superglue wasp to fly.
4. Fix fly to a pin or wire on far side
5 . Wait for wasp to come round and possible blow a fan on it to get it to fly.

Not saying I would do this but someone could.
Click to expand...

Yeah... ever since "Frog under a leaf" photo, I've started viewing some macro/"perfect timing with nature" shots with some heavy scepticism...
 
davholla said:
Do his books tell you how to take similar photos?
Click to expand...

There is a lot of description in his early books for sure, the technical challenges and his rig etc, that tell you exactly how he did it.

As mentioned above, the equipment side is relatively easy these days - macro lens, couple of flash guns, and a triggering device. That'd get you going, but there's a little more to it than that. And you'd probably still need his ultra-fast-opening shutter for some things.
 
Last edited:
I've taken insect in flight shots handheld before w/ some luck, but getting an image like this would be incredibly lucky.
sphexx said:
1. Kill a fly.
2. Chill/anaesthetise a wasp.
3 superglue wasp to fly.
4. Fix fly to a pin or wire on far side
5 . Wait for wasp to come round and possible blow a fan on it to get it to fly.

Not saying I would do this but someone could.
Click to expand...
That would work...
 
HoppyUK said:
Stephen Dalton is one of my photography heros. I was bowled over by his work when it first appeared in a Sunday supplement in the early 70s, and TBH I still am. I have most of his books.

A famous one
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794816

One of my favourites
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794853

Another favourite, taken in his back garden by automatic trigger while he was out shopping
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794856.html

A classic
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794818.html

This is one of Dalton's early personal favourites, for its simple beauty. And bear in mind that little fella is travelling bluddy fast!
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794873
Click to expand...
I agree, also the earlier pioneer Eric Hoskins, limited to a plate camera, and sometimes also limited to developing his plates in a nearby stream... Yet another example of skill and technique trumping gear.
 
Garry Edwards said:
I agree, also the earlier pioneer Eric Hoskins, limited to a plate camera, and sometimes also limited to developing his plates in a nearby stream... Yet another example of skill and technique trumping gear.
Click to expand...
And he only had one eye! But that's another story.
Matt
 
Garry Edwards said:
I agree, also the earlier pioneer Eric Hoskins, limited to a plate camera, and sometimes also limited to developing his plates in a nearby stream... Yet another example of skill and technique trumping gear.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was an admirer of Eric Hosking as a very young lad, even before I had any interest in photography. He was a birds man though, rather than insects, and he famously lost an eye to an owl he got too close to. I have his book An Eye for a Bird, and may even have some of his pictures somewhere, sold as 35mm transparency copies by the RSPB if memory serves :)
 
HoppyUK said:
There is a lot of description in his early books for sure, the technical challenges and his rig etc, that tell you exactly how he did it.

As mentioned above, the equipment side is relatively easy these days - macro lens, couple of flash guns, and a triggering device. That'd get you going, but there's a little more to it than that. And you'd probably still need his ultra-fast-opening shutter for some things.
Click to expand...
The triggering device is something I am thinking about getting for 2 reasons
1) I keep stick insects and would like to photograph them in flight
2) My mother in law lives in a block of flats and bats fly over the swimming pool and I wonder if I could photograph them with a trigger - saying that I have not investigated it seriously yet.
 
HoppyUK said:
Stephen Dalton is one of my photography heros. I was bowled over by his work when it first appeared in a Sunday supplement in the early 70s, and TBH I still am. I have most of his books.

A famous one
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794816

One of my favourites
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794853

Another favourite, taken in his back garden by automatic trigger while he was out shopping
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794856.html

A classic
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794818.html

This is one of Dalton's early personal favourites, for its simple beauty. And bear in mind that little fella is travelling bluddy fast!
http://www.stephendalton.co.uk/photo_13794838.html#photos_id=13794873
Click to expand...



Thanks for sharing these, David. I wasn't aware of Stephen Dalton, but his work looks excellent.
I will dig into this lot.
Cheers.
 
I'm guessing it's one of the types of wasps that paralyses it's prey then buries it with one of its eggs. Once they find a good spot with the right soil, they tend to return to repeat the process. So wait for one to dig a whole before it does off to find some prey. While it's away, setup the camera for a predicted flight-path to the new hole. Photograph it when it returns.

Repeat several thousand times until you sort of get the photo you were after...
 
The W said:
I'm guessing it's one of the types of wasps that paralyses it's prey then buries it with one of its eggs. Once they find a good spot with the right soil, they tend to return to repeat the process. So wait for one to dig a whole before it does off to find some prey. While it's away, setup the camera for a predicted flight-path to the new hole. Photograph it when it returns.

Repeat several thousand times until you sort of get the photo you were after...
Click to expand...
Looks more like a “regular” social wasp doing what they do. It doesn’t always carry the whole prey though, if it’s large (eg a a hawk Moth) it will cut off pieces and go back and forth until the whole carcass has been transferred to the nest. Of course what you suggest would work there too, maybe the photographer had a pile of dead flies to tempt it with. They certainly come back to a source of food. When I lived in a 7th floor flat I used to put sugar syrup out on the window sill for wasps in the Autumn — proved very popular, with the wasps, less so with neighbours.
 
I've video a fly flying I caught the fly chilled it superglue cotton to it's back an waited for it to warm up it can't go anywhere so filmed it flying
 
sphexx said:
1. Kill a fly.
2. Chill/anaesthetise a wasp.
3 superglue wasp to fly.
4. Fix fly to a pin or wire on far side
5 . Wait for wasp to come round and possible blow a fan on it to get it to fly.

Not saying I would do this but someone could.
Click to expand...
Funniest thing I've read in days.
 
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