Thanks for sharing! I always learn new ids from your posts. I had a couple of Underwings this summer that I don't know, I'll have to compare with yours and see if it's one of them. And the simpler plume moth is new to me, too.
Do you take your photos with a macro? Do you use extra lighting? I have trouble getting the entire moth in focus and I'm a bit reluctant to use flash as I don't know if it's ok for them or not. Any tips you can share would be appreciated.
And your work is beautiful!
Thank you for your kind words....I am continually working on hobby.
My camera setup is a Canon EOS 6D, Canon EF 70-300mm lens 1:4-5.6 with three Kenko extension tubes. I do use a flash, Yongnuo macro Ring lite. In the flash ETTL mode I dial back the light output -between -2 to -3. I manually shoot at 800 ISO, spot meter, and at f5.6 or f6.3, but this can change depending upon where the moth is on the sheet. I also do post-processing in Aperture and sometimes Lightroom. But honestly, I am a self-taught photographer and have crafted my technique over many, many years of trial and error. It works for me but, I still am refining things and learning from others whom I come across online and at photo sessions. I am mainly interesting in creating detailed photos for identification purposes.
At the light sheets, we use mercury vapour bulbs that produce plenty of light (sometimes too much!) The flash helps with eliminating shadows. I don't use a tripod, but a really steady hand helps, especially with micros. Having someone hold the sheet helps as well, if the sheet is not secured.
I hope this helps. Good luck, I would love to see your photos and maybe I can help with the identification. take care, hope to hear from you.
