I had a look at a guide to close-up photography a couple of days ago and decided to do some test shots in the garden this morning, adapting the info to make it easier to start with. I actually really like hand-holding in available light but results are really hit and miss and virtually never really sharp (see pics below). Anyway this shot was my first fly using this technique and i was gobsmacked - it worked!!! (This shot is full frame - the others on this page have mostly been cropped.
This fly dusted itself with pollen on a campanula before alighting on this red flower.
This and the shot below are of the same very obliging hoverfly who didn't seem to be at all bothered by my close approach!
So I don't forget I used the flash on Auto hand held in the other hand to the hand held camera. I set the lens to the approx extension I wanted and then swayed in and out to get the focus. The flash was set to F11 and the camera to F22 to start with and I altered things as I went along depending on how the exposure looked on the preview. I tried to regulate the flash to subject distance in relation to the lens by resting the flash against the camera plate. (Or I just altered the distance and direction as and when.) The good news it it seems to work ok, but it is very fiddly and is by no stretch of the imagination a standardised and reliable system. Will try to get that sorted soon...(but don't hold your breath as it's not playing to my strengths, really!)
