Dead Mosquito

As I venture down the rabbit hole of macro photography, one of the neatest subjects has been a dead mosquito that I pulled from a web in my basement (I’ve been eyeing him dangling in the corner for the past few months). I’ve always been fascinated by macro photography but had never invested in the equipment or time needed to learn how to do it best.

I’m still finding my way and learning more each day, and since I’ve taken these photos, I have learned so much more and realized all kinds of mistakes I’ve been making. I’ve really enjoyed doing everything manually, and the kind of learning that comes with that.

My Mistakes/Lessons Learned:

I need to use my flash.
If I’m stacking images, I need to take more time and do smaller increments between shots.
Don’t do these when the washer or dryer is going and take my speakers off of my desk. You’d be surprised at much shaking is happening when you’re seeing things this small.
I need a better and more solid tripod.
Although I enjoy shooting at lower (brighter) apertures around f2 and below, I get best results shooting at f8 and above.
Using a timer for each shot works, but a remote shutter release would be better and more efficient.
It’s not the gear that makes a good picture.
I need to stop over-editing my photos.
Holy crap my sensor and lenses are dirty.
My old eyes suck. I should probably invest in a monitor to help me focus better.
Mosquitos (especially dead and decayed ones) resemble the Half-Life Strider.