Photography Tip
by Reno Unger
Bill,
Attached are some of the pictures I took this summer of the
livestock you sold me and some that I found for myself. All are
common, but I thought you might find a use for them.
They include Polyphemus adult and larva, Cecropia adult and larva
and larva of Promethea and Luna. This is the beginning of my
photographic collection. It is my intention to add as many
different species to the collection as possible over the next
number of years.
By the way, I found a technique that I have used for a number of
Lepidoptera pictures that may be new to you. When I am ready to
photograph a particularly active species, I stick it an envelope to
confine it, then put it in the fridge for about fifteen minutes.
The chill puts it into a torpor so that it can't do much but cling
to whatever I put it on. It gradually warms up and begins moving
about, giving me plenty of time for pictures before it recovers
and takes off.
Reno Unger
Reno,
Thanks for the tip. Glad to hear you have had so much success
and have found a new interest with the camera. Nice pictures.
I don't have a really good camera and my first orignal polyphemus picture,
taken by my friend Danny Mackinnon was chilled in much the same way.
Antheraea polyphemus (Cramer, 1775).
Photo by Dan Mackinnon.
One of my nicest images is of a dead Hyalophora gloveri that I spread
in a natural pose and pinned to my flatbead scanner. The abdomen was still a bit limp
so I pinned it to the willow stem before I inverted the moth and stem over
the scanning bed.
Hyalophora columbia gloveri scan by Bill Oehlke
In the "early days" I also tried the direct scanning method with
larvae. They were so active, especially when warmed by the scanner, that
images were often blurred. Guess what! I put a few of them in the
fridge too. It slowed them down a bit but only for a short time.
I'm glad we've got members, such as yourself, with good cameras and great skills.
Bill Oehlke
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