My First Demoiselle Damselflies!! - Macro Photography

Follow along as I get my first photos of Banded Demoiselle Damselflies, and talk about my technique along the way.
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My Macro Gear:
📷 Fujifilm X-H2
🔎 Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO
🔎 Laowa 25mm F/2.8 2.5-5x ultra macro
🔦 Nikon SB-900 Flash
⚪ Cygnustech Diffuser: www.cygnustech...
Filmed on:
📷 Lumix DC-G91
🔎 Olympus 12-60mm f/2.8 pro
Music: 'Demoiselle' by Tobias Tinker, used with permission.
#macrophotography #insectphotography #wildlife

[@normanvanrooy3113]

I really enjoy your videos. Your relaxed style is such a welcome contrast to many zippy fast cut videos on KZbin. Your music in the background is soft and gentle. Visual composition is excellent as well. I enjoy the hunt…a very primordial feeling and then the reveal. It’s what stories have captivated in the human imagination for ever.

[@petersterling5334]

I've been a Widely Published Photographer in Extreme Sports for 38 Years and I find your Videos and your Work Excellent in Every way!! Thanks lot for your Dedication and Hard Work bringing these Videos to the World!!

[@ThomasSchwarzFotografie]

Perfect focus stacking photos, the blue one with yellow background is amazing. Thanks for sharing 😉👍

[@musiqueetmontagne]

Super images again Alexis, the detail and colours, especially hand stacked in the field are really tremendous. Thanks for sharing these.

[@TheMickebostrom]

Amazing, as always on your channel!

[@w0lfyovi294]

Excellent images and work.

[@clausgiloi6036]

Great video, loved the final shot from above. I really enjoy your outdoor videos (especially since I grew up in Berlin), but maybe you can do a video to show your editing technique sometime. Thanks!

[@naturefold]

Thank you! I'm planning on doing a video on I editing technique for sure :)

[@Namaste..]

Always a treat to see that you’ve posted a new video. Wonderful images. The venation on these damselflies is just stunning!

[@SourojitBh]

Beautiful!

[@joshashdown4431]

Your videos are great to watch. Keep of the outstanding work!

[@bykaruso505]

So Beautiful, thank you! Great Work!

[@oussamakindo4048]

Amazing photos keep going

[@raneolsen]

Hello from Finland! I really like your videos, but I have a small wish: Please keep the whole picture visible for at least a couple of seconds. Now when I'm getting ready to look at the image in whole, it disappears as soon as it gets its full size and that is a little annoying :) Keep up good work!

[@naturefold]

Thank you! And that's a good idea, I'll try that in the next video

[@ronaldbuitendijkfotografie]

Lovely video and images again with an incredible species!

[@Joh146]

Outstanding photos and you have the gift to explain in a very logical way.

[@Trish12303]

Really beautiful images!!

[@MarkSturtevantLectures]

Always a great pleasure. Love the out-takes at the end!😄

[@magoit]

The natural light stack - what a banger!

[@SlavaVeres]

🇨🇦 Greetings from Canada! I believe we have those in Ontario 🦋 beautiful insects! Great photos!

[@luciegagnon1238]

Wow! I can’t believe how this damselfly is staying still while manipulating the leaf and background! Nice video!

[@iagopritchard8201]

Excellent video, your work is always so professional, well done!

[@photochop9657]

Excellent work.

[@hermanmunster4949]

Another informative and entertaining episode. Bravo!

[@Dave-Caramel]

Hi Alexis, Thank you for your fantastic recordings and explanations. If it's not too much trouble, it would be great if you could include written notes in the video about where you’ve been. You don’t need to be precise down to the meter, but for example, if you visit a forest in Brandenburg or Berlin, could you mention which forest it was? For instance, "Tegel Forst" or "Spandauer Forst," etc. This way, if someone lives nearby, they could also visit those places to photograph dragonflies or explore further. Thanks a lot.

[@goodsick8556]

I love how relaxing your videos are and always so fun to wait and see how the shots turned out. I also really like how you put the bloopers in the outro to show people that were not perfect. Many want to do youtube but scared of not being perfect.....and thats ok!

[@glennhunt3595]

Really hope you stick with this genre of photography and build up a good body of work, as sadly now Micael Widell is moving away from macro content, really think you could be in the forefront of this style of photography on u-tube Alexis. - Keep up the good work ! 👍

[@zfisher]

Love seeing the outtakes!😂

[@santijaumes]

Very nice video and pictures Alexis, well done!.. Loved the bloopers at the end haha

[@user-mx8qg4qp4o]

Hi Alexis… yours macro images are amazing ! In one of your first videos you touched very shortly on your focus stacking technique… Would you make a video, like a tutorial, where you explain in details your technique and how flash is being used (high sync, or just single shot)… thank you very much in advance…

[@naturefold]

I recently got a new flash (the godox v860iii) so I'll do a review video of that sometime soon and explain my technique for using flash for stacking

[@LonerJoe]

Great video... Great audio.

[@str1xt]

Just wonderful as usual young man. Nearly 10k subs!

[@d.k.1394]

Amazing

[@johneast7987]

Well done Alexis

[@NaturallyCuriousUK]

Beautiful subject. Lovely presentation and edit. Stunning results! Can't help but feel that in-camera focus stacking is a bit of a cheat, but you clearly have the skill and fieldcraft to have gotten great images yourself without it, but if you've got it you might as well use it! 👍👍👍

[@naturefold]

I would think of auto focus bracketing more as a tool that makes it easier to get photos for stacks, which allows you to think more about the more creative aspects of macro such as composition and lighting. That said I don't actually use auto bracketing as that only works with autofocus lenses, and my laowa macro lenses are fully manual.

[@NaturallyCuriousUK]

@@naturefold Appreciate the clarification 👍 Keep up the good output 🤓

[@loopsevents]

Merci alexis!!

[@Macbamboo]

Hello Alexis my made a great work!!! I have a question for you what you think about the Fujifilm X-H1 for this kind of Macros? I use Canon so I never tried FujiFilm cameras, can you help me? Thank you very much 🙂

[@naturefold]

I've never used the X-H1 so I can't really say, but just about any camera can work for macro with the right lens setup

[@wizor483]

Thank you for your great work😀 Would you consider to make video abut processing in "Zerene"?

[@naturefold]

I'm definitely planning on a video about editing stacks, may be a little while before I have time but it's definitely coming

[@alanoleary2278]

Just a quick comment regarding terminology. You are taking bracketing shots with the camera then later using software stacking these shots. Looks like some people here think you are doing stacking in camera.

[@krappiekiller]

Great as usual. By the way, where did you get the raynox holder for what appears to be a cygnustech?

[@naturefold]

My Cygnustech Diffuser came with the raynox holder, so I didn't buy it separately. You could try makung a diy one just by glueing a step up ring to the diffuser

[@rajdeepchakraborty3259]

Excellent tutorial. Thanks. However, which microphone you are using. Further, can we get the same quality photos with fullframe cameras and 105mm Macro lens.

[@naturefold]

I have the Hollyland Lark M1, which was one of the cheapest lavalier mics I could find but still seems to deliver decent quality.. it's possible to get good macro shots with pretty much any camera and macro lens setup, what's more important is the lighting.

[@paulm8157]

High quality post and images. Impressive wing detail. Blooper outtakes a plus.😊 Are insect bites an issue at your locations? If so, do you apply repellant? BTW, saw where e-magazine Shutterbug featured your earlier “how-to” post. Congrats on that - exposure should boost views and subs. Did the magazine initiate contact? Cheers!

[@naturefold]

I haven't had too many issues with insect bites, though for shooting at night or early morning the mosquitoes can be a bit annoying so I sometimes use a natural insect repellent of some sort. I actually had no idea that Shutterbug had featured those videos.. strange that they didn't contact me at all🤔

[@disjenmgn]

Always nice videos, thx! But: When I find in the early morning those species and even if I point to them, they fly away, and transporting them on a leaf????? Here it is impossible for sure. And how do you keep your camera still taking stacks when your arms spread in front of you?

[@naturefold]

They are usually only that still after quite a cold night, so that might be a factor? To keep steady when the subject is in a clamp it's always good to have a point of contact between my arms and the ground, or rest my elbows against my body.

[@hotmas1989ify]

Insane detail shots!! Which lens do u use or used? 😊

[@naturefold]

I always write my equipment in the video caption

[@Mr.Mines_World]

Amazing video reaalyy enoyed can you do one of how you edit the stacks please

[@naturefold]

I'm planning to do a video on my editing workflow sometime soon :)

[@davidipema7898]

👍

[@user-jm7ss6rc2h]

Hi,Enjoy your video.May I ask how you take your stack. Does your camera do it or do you move in and out TIA

[@naturefold]

I move the camera while shooting in burst mode.

[@pedzsan]

What stacking software do you prefer?

[@naturefold]

I use Zerene stacker, the other good option is Helicon focus

[@psoon04286]

A little info on the gear used to perform multi shot focus stacking with flash please. My flash definitely will not sync so rapidly like yours☹️

[@naturefold]

Most flashes can shoot at quite high speeds like this if you use a low enough flash power, I usually use between 1/32 and 1/64 flash power.

[@psoon04286]

@@naturefold thanks, I’ll check to see if mine can shoot so rapidly

[@michellefussel8229]

Love your work! is it important to have a special macro lens or could I just try it with my Canon 150 to 300mm

[@naturefold]

Depends on the subjects you want to shoot, for larger insects like damselflies or butterflies you can definitely use a telephoto lens, but for smaller subjects a macro lens will help a lot

[@jackyyu7688]

Excuse me, how to focus stack handheld shooting

[@psoon04286]

What’s your technique against movements caused by light breeze?

[@naturefold]

If the subject is on a plant it helps to hold the plant as close to the subject as possible without it showing up in your photo. If you're using flash motion blur from slight shake shouldn't be an issue.

[@psoon04286]

@@naturefold I’ve been experimenting with focus stacking and find it a fascinating way to get fully in-focused images when doing closeups. I’ll try your tip about adding a spot of colour in the background👍🏼😄

[@andysbirdsnthewild2526]

What are your flash settings when shooting a stack of 30 plus photos? Does the flash recycle quickly? Thank you.

[@naturefold]

I use between 1/32 and 1/64 flash power, which is the highest power that my flash can keep recharging at 10fps

[@andysbirdsnthewild2526]

@@naturefold Thanks so much for getting back to me. I'm enjoying and learning from your videos.

[@mechanicalmindmusic]

Could you please tell me how you do focus bracketing using Laowa lenses, given that they are manual lenses?

[@naturefold]

Like you said automatic focus bracketing isn't possible with manual focus lenses like the ones from laowa, I take photos for stacking manually by shooting in burst mode and moving the camera slowly to change focus.