Stag Beetle (Male) - Lamprima adolphinae

I could use some advice about photographing this beetle! This is my 3rd attempt and best result so far. This beetle is impossibly shiny. In this photo, I am not using flash, but instead a light (LitraTorch 2.0 ) with diffuser on both sides of the beetle. You can see the shape of the diffusers on the thorax of the beetle, which is annoying. Should I increase the light output and move it further from the beetle? Use larger diffusers? I'm not sure, but would like to get an image without too much reflection.

*Pinned specimen

comments (6)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

First, I would like to say that it's a stunning species and I personally like this type of dramatic lighting. My attention was not drawn to the shape of the diffuser.

With a subject as reflective as a mirror, it's hard to hide the light source from the reflection. So here's what some people do:

http://extreme-macro.co.uk/data1/images/extrememacrowasp.jpg

Pay close attention to the eyes because it gives away the technique. It's a tunnel diffuser. You enclose your subject in a diffuser box or cylinder. You did not get rid of reflections, you actually only added more. However, you removed the directionality of it. There's no single point of light as it's coming from every direction at once.

Some people appreciate this approach so much that they basically always use it, and have a permanent structure where they insert the subject. It's kind of a fool-proof method, but it has one artistic downside: it doesn't leave much room for shadows, which can be useful for some subjects. Posted 3 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Hmm. I agree -- the beetle is so cool. First, I'm glad that you didn't seem to think the diffuser-shaped reflection was horrifying. I wasn't going to share this photo because I thought it was so bad. Maybe my mind magnified the issue. Second, I like dramatic lighting too. But, I'm going to consider trying a tunnel diffuser because it'll be fun to experiment.
  
  Thanks so much for the comments. :) Posted 3 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    Not even close to horrifying, I didn't notice until you told me. If I may, I did notice one other thing, which I also saw here:
    
    It looks to me like the head is receiving little light, leaving it kind of underexposed. Since the head (and even more so the eyes) are typically a main point of interest, this may be something to explore. Perhaps a simple reflector helps. Posted 3 years ago, modified 3 years ago
  2. 1. Christine Young
      
      Lion
      
      Oh, good idea! I did notice your point about the head, but wasn't sure what to do about it. I have a reflector and will try it. Thanks :) Posted 3 years ago
  3. William Bodine
    
    Lion
    
    Love these shinny beetles. Good shot! I have used a DIY tunnel diffuser with success and it does spread out the light much more. I also use a small DIY light box made out of foam board and tracing paper. That really works good for smooth lighting. Posted 3 years ago
  4. 1. Christine Young
      
      Lion
      
      Cool! Posted 3 years ago