My first attempt at encasing an insect in epoxy

I have long wanted to cast a insect in epoxy. When I found a good cicada specimen recently, I thought I would give it a go. This entry is about the mistakes I made. Hopefully, after reading, when you try you will avoid the same mistakes.

I used EasyCast clear casting resin from here.It is low odor and easy to work with.

I read the instructions (yes, I did) but continued to ignore them. The result was less than spectacular, but a learning experience.

Here is a list of my mistakes in hope that you will do better.

1) Used wrong kind of mold - Polypropylene or polyethylene resin mold are required. I am sure I used poly something, but it was too stiff and the epoxy bonded with it extremely well. I had to cut the piece out of the mold. USE THE RIGHT LIND OF MOLD.

2) Use a mold release - I skipped this as well - Instructions suggest using Castin'Craft Mold Release/Conditioner. USE MOLD RELEASE.

3) Bubbles - I had major bubble on head of the cicada. I believe it is suggested to coat the insect prior to placing in the mold of resin. You can coat the insect with using a small brush. WATCH FOR BUBBLES. COAT THE OBJECT.

4) The legs of my cicada protruded out of the resin. The cicada was very close to the edges. I should have used a bigger mold. USE THE CORRECT SIZE MOLD.

I have learned quite a bit. When the opportunity arises, I will try again. Hopefully without the issues described above.

Green Grasshopper.

Check out this awesome photo from 500px: http://500px.com/photo/47169344

The Fig Tree.

In my mother-in-laws' yard is a yellow fig tree. I have been watching this tree for two reasons. One is to eat some figs when they are ready. The other is to observe the abundance of activity from insects, birds and other animals. I am amazed. For starters the rotting figs provide food for numerous insects such as bees, wasps, hornets, and flies. I have seen butterflies, like the red spotted purple, southern pearly eye, question mark, and hackberry emperor. At night, numerous species of moths come to the figs, drawn by their sweet fermenting juice. Squirrel s enjoy the fruit as well. So do cardinals and bluejays. The ruby throated hummingbird enjoys the juice as well. I am sure there are other things drawn to the tree that I have not seen. One ancient tree, providing antioxidants for so many. Nature at her best.

Velbon Super Mag Macro Tripod Slider and Focus Stacking

I have been wanting to do some focus stacking images for some time. Particularly for the flowers I like to photograph. I cannot get the whole flower (petals, stamen, and pistol) in focus with one shot. By using focus stacking you can create an image which will have the entire flower in focus. Find out more about focus stacking here and here. To make this process easier, I purchased the Velbon Macro Tripod slider like the one shown below:

 

Here is Velbon's description: 

The Velbon Super Mag Macro Focusing Rail Slider, essential for precision macro photography, is made of a lightweight, corrosion-resistant magnesium alloy. Even with a steady hand, macro photography can be tricky and temperamental. The fine tuning of the Super Mag Slider helps you find the right depth of field to take precise close-up photos.

The smooth action macro-rails consist of X and Y movable tables for precisely adjusting focus. The X axis moves right and left, the Y axis moves towards and away from the operator on threaded rods. By using the included allen wrench you can separate the top and bottom tables for additional modification. Underneath the top table (Y), there are both 1/4 and 3/8-inch threaded holes for mounting the top table to a tripod. The adjustment knobs are smooth and fluid, and have just the right amount of resistance.

• 4-way adjustment - forward / backward / left / right
• Detachable lower base - changeable to 2-way slider
• Made from light weight & durable magnesium alloy
• Lateral adjustment rang: 1.2" (30 mm) / Fore/aft adjustment range: 2.4" (60 mm)
• Dimensions: 8.3 x 4.7 x 2.8 in. (210 x 120 x 70mm) / Weight: 1.04 lb. (470g)

I completed my first attempt at focus stacking using a cone flower. I took 17 images turning the rail advance screw about 1 turn each time. Here are the 17 images and the result.

 I used a program called  Combine ZP to align, scale, and stack the images. It is a free program that works remarkably well.

The Velbon unit worked well. I only wish that the X and Y movement knobs were on opposite sides. They can be made that way, and I will make the effort. More than once I had to start over because I moved the X position instead of the Y position. Here are my camera settings:

White Balance - Manual
Shutter Speed - Manual - 160
Aperture - Manual - 2.0
Mirror up delay - 5 secs

I started where the center (Highest point) of the flower was in focus and moved in in 17 increments. I mounted the slider on my ballhead.

This exercise was just that - an exercise to see how to do the setup and use the software. The Velbon slider is a vital part of the setup and it performed very well. I can also recommend the Combine ZP software.

Book Review: The Theater of Insects by Jo Whaley

Book Review: The Theater of Insects by Jo Whaley. This is a book of photographs created by Jo Whaley. There are more than 50 plates beautifully reproduced on very nice paper. The book is published by Chronicle Books in San Fransisco, CA. The book includes essays by Deborah Klochko and Linda Wiener, in addition to Notes from the Studio, by Jo Whaley.

Each photograph is a construction of insects and objects. The objects which she has chosen to complement the insects are often found objects. The compositions are three dimensional. The colors are wonderful. The textures are rich and complementary. A beautiful book.

The Theater of Insects by Jo Whaley is available at DiscountBookSale.com at a very attractive price. I highly recommend getting your own copy.