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Cap Sundew - UV (1:1), Heesch, Netherlands After this one-time success at doing extreme macro UV stacking:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93337/cape_sundew_-_uv_heesch_netherlands.html" title="Cape Sundew - UV, Heesch, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/93337_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=7zLplZsyjGYVSm0Hy6w9N2Vy4AA%3D" width="200" height="148" alt="Cape Sundew - UV, Heesch, Netherlands This is what I would call a uniquely stupid idea. <br /> <br /> I had just acquired a lighting system that has various LED arms. One particular arm emits UV light only. I had already tested it succesfully on lichen, I&#039;ll post those later. I also did a nightly stroll through the garden, pointing the arm everywhere to see which flower lights up. Pre-selecting targets, in a way.<br /> <br /> What else could I try, my fuzzy mind wondered? When the dots connected, I cringed. How about the sundews you just spent 3 days stacking? The answer was in plain sight. How slow the idea came into existence, it does seem unique enough, I&#039;m not finding any serious comparisons of trying this on sundews.<br /> <br /> It&#039;s easy to see why if you consider the process involved. Consumer grade UV lights are extremely weak, for safety reasons. You have to almost touch the subject with the light in a fully dark room to see the effect at all. <br /> <br /> This is a problem for extreme macro, which needs the exact opposite: extreme amounts of light. As more UV light is no option for now, the only solution is shutter speed. Where normally 1/60s is already too slow for extreme macro due to micro vibrations, this stack consists of photos with a 3s shutter speed. <br /> <br /> That&#039;s not the only pain. You can&#039;t see what you&#039;re doing so you have to prepare the entire stack in normal light. Do the composition, focus start and end points. Then, position UV lighting without touching or moving anything and pray you got it right, as you can&#039;t preview any result. Finally, shut down all lights in the house, press start, and sit motionless in complete darkness on the couch, wondering how I ended up here.<br /> <br /> I couldn&#039;t believe what I saw after the stacking software did its job. It was getting late, so I went to bed, still hyped. With the full weekend still ahead of me, I was totally going to produce a whole series of this effect. I spent 2 nights in a row, hours on end, without producing a single usable shot. <br /> <br /> I got lucky. Correct angle and distance. That said, I&#039;ve since produced a few more, but I share in order, so those will come later. As I cannot make up my mind which orientation is best, by exception I&#039;m sharing both orientations.<br /> <br /> Fun detail: note the little dust thread. Normally a problem, but under UV it lights up like lighting and reflects in the glandular hairs.<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93336/cape_sundew_-_uv_-_landscape_heesch_netherlands.html Cape Sundew,Drosera capensis,Extreme Macro,Ultra Violet Light,WeMacro" /></a></figure><br /> ...I had a few more attempts, all a huge failure. In particular the angle of the weak UV light very much determines the outcome, yet you cannot preview or predict the outcome. <br /> <br /> So here I&#039;m taking a step back, using 1:1 single shot macro, which is still tricky, yet easier to control. You still cannot entirely preview the result, yet it&#039;s much faster to see when its wrong, and to do several tries.<br /> <br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93703/cap_sundews_-_uv_11_heesch_netherlands.html" title="Cap Sundews - UV (1:1), Heesch, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/93703_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=yFJPPpUTddJXFIIpFKCmj7pFJL4%3D" width="200" height="134" alt="Cap Sundews - UV (1:1), Heesch, Netherlands After this one-time success at doing extreme macro UV stacking:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93337/cape_sundew_-_uv_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> ...I had a few more attempts, all a huge failure. In particular the angle of the weak UV light very much determines the outcome, yet you cannot preview or predict the outcome. <br /> <br /> So here I&#039;m taking a step back, using 1:1 single shot macro, which is still tricky, yet easier to control. You still cannot entirely preview the result, yet it&#039;s much faster to see when its wrong, and to do several tries.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93702/cap_sundew_-_uv_11_heesch_netherlands.html Cape Sundew,Drosera capensis" /></a></figure> Cape Sundew,Drosera capensis,Ultra Violet Light Click/tap to enlarge

Cap Sundew - UV (1:1), Heesch, Netherlands

After this one-time success at doing extreme macro UV stacking:

Cape Sundew - UV, Heesch, Netherlands This is what I would call a uniquely stupid idea. <br /> <br /> I had just acquired a lighting system that has various LED arms. One particular arm emits UV light only. I had already tested it succesfully on lichen, I'll post those later. I also did a nightly stroll through the garden, pointing the arm everywhere to see which flower lights up. Pre-selecting targets, in a way.<br /> <br /> What else could I try, my fuzzy mind wondered? When the dots connected, I cringed. How about the sundews you just spent 3 days stacking? The answer was in plain sight. How slow the idea came into existence, it does seem unique enough, I'm not finding any serious comparisons of trying this on sundews.<br /> <br /> It's easy to see why if you consider the process involved. Consumer grade UV lights are extremely weak, for safety reasons. You have to almost touch the subject with the light in a fully dark room to see the effect at all. <br /> <br /> This is a problem for extreme macro, which needs the exact opposite: extreme amounts of light. As more UV light is no option for now, the only solution is shutter speed. Where normally 1/60s is already too slow for extreme macro due to micro vibrations, this stack consists of photos with a 3s shutter speed. <br /> <br /> That's not the only pain. You can't see what you're doing so you have to prepare the entire stack in normal light. Do the composition, focus start and end points. Then, position UV lighting without touching or moving anything and pray you got it right, as you can't preview any result. Finally, shut down all lights in the house, press start, and sit motionless in complete darkness on the couch, wondering how I ended up here.<br /> <br /> I couldn't believe what I saw after the stacking software did its job. It was getting late, so I went to bed, still hyped. With the full weekend still ahead of me, I was totally going to produce a whole series of this effect. I spent 2 nights in a row, hours on end, without producing a single usable shot. <br /> <br /> I got lucky. Correct angle and distance. That said, I've since produced a few more, but I share in order, so those will come later. As I cannot make up my mind which orientation is best, by exception I'm sharing both orientations.<br /> <br /> Fun detail: note the little dust thread. Normally a problem, but under UV it lights up like lighting and reflects in the glandular hairs.<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93336/cape_sundew_-_uv_-_landscape_heesch_netherlands.html Cape Sundew,Drosera capensis,Extreme Macro,Ultra Violet Light,WeMacro

...I had a few more attempts, all a huge failure. In particular the angle of the weak UV light very much determines the outcome, yet you cannot preview or predict the outcome.

So here I'm taking a step back, using 1:1 single shot macro, which is still tricky, yet easier to control. You still cannot entirely preview the result, yet it's much faster to see when its wrong, and to do several tries.

Cap Sundews - UV (1:1), Heesch, Netherlands After this one-time success at doing extreme macro UV stacking:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93337/cape_sundew_-_uv_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> ...I had a few more attempts, all a huge failure. In particular the angle of the weak UV light very much determines the outcome, yet you cannot preview or predict the outcome. <br /> <br /> So here I'm taking a step back, using 1:1 single shot macro, which is still tricky, yet easier to control. You still cannot entirely preview the result, yet it's much faster to see when its wrong, and to do several tries.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93702/cap_sundew_-_uv_11_heesch_netherlands.html Cape Sundew,Drosera capensis

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The Cape Sundew

''Drosera capensis'', commonly known as the Cape sundew, is a small rosette-forming carnivorous species of perennial sundew native to the Cape in South Africa. Because of its size, easy to grow nature, and the copious amounts of seed it produces, it has become one of the most common sundews in cultivation.

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Similar species: Pinks, Cactuses, And Allies
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
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By Ferdy Christant

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Uploaded May 4, 2020. Captured Apr 24, 2020 22:16.
country flag of Netherlands Explore Netherlands 8,314 2,306 0
  • NIKON D850
  • f/4.5
  • 3s
  • ISO400
  • 105mm