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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2020
- Join me as I photograph bugs and insects on wildflowers. Lockdown really allowed me to open my eyes up to new photographic opportunities. Did it do the same for you?
One to one photography workshops restarting in Aberdeenshire and Moray from 6th July. Click following link for more info and email me to book: www.kimgrantphotography.co.uk...
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Macrophotography isn't only challenging but also wonderful when we can look up closely into the world of insects.
Kim, I am glad to see you are able to look for new photographic opportunities and having fun along the way. Thank you for sharing. I made the switch to the front and back yard but added a twist. I post one picture every day of a critter, or flower, you get the point. What started out to be showing the neighbors what their missing by not looking around has turned into 100+ days of providing something for anyone needing a little distraction. This also gave me the added benefit of having to shoot every day not that I need the distraction but this lock down is tough on everyone.
Yes, same here, you start looking for smaller subjects to photograph. It is a challenge but a lot fun.
Hello Kim, another educational video about looking beyond the path and into the long grass to be amazed at the photographs that are possible. Thanks for sharing and continue to stay safe 😷
" if it wasn't for lockdown I wouldn't have discovered outside closeup photography "? Ur great fun to watch!
Great video Kim, You don't have to apologize for not talking a lot, like you say the insect's don't wait around. It's not like landscape photography. Thanks for posting.
Thank you Raymond - they certainly don't wait around. Glad you enjoyed it :)
Really nice pics....your enthusiasm is contagious....yes staying home or close to it has made me concentrate on what is close and available out the window and on my decks...in Colorado....but when it gets hot I'm useless.....love your vlog...
I love to see your work show more of it you are a great photographer I love to see more of your iphotography make another video
Stunning images Kim! Still getting used to my new Nikon 6ii but as they say … “Patience is a Virtue”! 💜
Great shots 👍😊 Kim. You can't beat nature.
Kim, am enjoying your blog let me say first of all. Re flighty butterflies etc. Perseverance and lots of patience is the key. You’ll be surprised how close you can get to butterflies and moths etc. Stealth is key. Always avoid letting your shadow fall on your live subject. You’ll be amazed how close you’ll get to insects, lizards, snakes etc etc just by using stealth. By the way, a great time to photograph moths and butterflies is early morning or late evening while the subjects are slowed down by cooler temperatures. You’ll soon have a portfolio of shots you’ll be proud of and love.
Thank you very much for the tips Frank. Learning new things about this style everyday - it's great to learn more tips as I go along. I've done moth trapping many times in the past for conservation monitoring and love seeing them up close in the morning before they warm up. Will enjoy doing something similar with butterflies in the future. Any tips on how to find them early in the morning or evening? Is there certain places they tend to settle?
Kim Grant Hi again Kim. We did a great deal of moth light work in Angus etc, mainly associated with the various reserves etc (the list would be endless. Are you familiar with my bro, Paul, by any chance?). My all time fave genre has always been mountain photography but that led (as with yourself, I believe), onto wild life. A very rewarding method of photographing moths is to go out on a dull night with a head torch and photograph the moths on the he foliage of trees. (and plenty of other bugs too), with a simple flash set up. I used a 105 mm macro lens for this work. This way you can get fabulous shots of fabulous insects in their natural habitats. I would think St Cyrus NNR. Would be a good place for you. Actually Kim I could go on and on so I’d better stop here lol. But I’d be very glad to pass on tips and info that might help you. Just one last tip. You like the sand dunes and the associated tall grasses; very often after dark you can find species such as the Common Blue Butterfly (a particularly beautiful creature when it’s wings are folded at rest) roosting on grass stems. You can usually get right on top of it in order to get nice compositions without it being disturbed. And the Common Blue is just one species of many hat you’ll find this way. (For instance I think we’ve recorded in excess of 600 different moths at St Cyrus alone. Happy hunting Kim.
Beautiful images. It IS hard to talk about stuff while photographing (that's why my videos aren't vlogs) but you do it exceedingly well. Like Michael said below, here in the US we call them Lady Bugs...love hearing the differences in slang and terminology between here and there! Enjoyed the video.
I've just started with macro but with a 40mm lens, I used to have a 300mm lens but sold it, anyway, I like your bug shots very much, really lovely blend of colour in a beautiful Bokeh. I'm in the same area, Buckie and enjoy the coastline as you do. Keep up the good work and your videos as I've now subscribed and look forward to more of your content.
Fantastic images Kim, beautiful location. Thanks for sharing
Love your positivity and enthusiasm for the beauty found in nature! 😊
Lovely Place you are visiting, love the photos.
The unseen up close world of Mother Nature is beautiful thing. Nicely done!
Also with butterflies if you stay still in one spot you can get a feel for their favourite feeding spots and typically after a while they go off on a little circuit and then come back and settle for a while giving you a chance to get that shot.
Some lovely images Kim and I really like the way the depth of field has been used to great effect
I have always loved close up pictures of bugs and insects. That must be a really good lens to focus that well at 300mm. Really outstanding video, Kim. Thank you so much for sharing this video with us.
great video Kim ,great images
Just found your channel and just love your energy. I too have found Macro photography to be a great outlet during thd summer. I will keep watching!
Definitely!! I started paying more attention to composition in landscape photography, and I even decided to start a TH-cam channel taking advantage of the location where I live and that the lockdown in El Calafate wasn't as long as in the rest of Argentina.
I love the content you share!! Super inspiring!
Thank you for sharing this. I walked away from my photography for some time, and you are a breath of fresh air. Thank you.
I like your enthusiasm!
I loved the ladybird on the purple thistle photo! I’m still on lockdown as I’m shielding so the first thing I did 3 months ago was buy a macro lens and I love it. I normally do landscape/nature photography but having the macro lens has helped me keep doing what I love to do whilst at home. And I’ll keep doing it now after I’m free!!
Beautiful images, love your chilled and inspiring content. Just orderd my first macro lens, let the learning commence 😊👍
I have also adapted to the conditions. Put up 2 bird feeders in my yard and I now have some incredible shots I would not have except for improvising. Love taking insects, also. Especially when you can get their eyes. Great video.
you have brought summer to life, thank you.
Like your enthusiasm!
I am mostly a portrait story telling photographer , so of course the whole COVID thing has very much affected my genre ..so I have in turn been enjoying more nature macros , flowers, birds and yes agree it was the lockdown that made me open my eyes. Also I have been even branching out into art more ! Painting ..and am planning to start art journaling ! Great video Kim inspiring as usual!!!! ❤️
Fun video. Just subbed. Yes lockdown here in Canada has allowed me to find locations to shoot that I wouldn’t have otherwise found. (If you go out at sunrise, butterflies and bees will be easier to shoot as they are still recovering from the cool night. You may even be able to pose them and use a tripod). Cheers
Great to see you enjoying insects, I'm been doing macro for over five years, it's takes me about 15-20 mins to get my eye in to find them but once you get there you'll find loads and time flies fun finding all the different ones😊 lockdown I've been doing more garden bird photography, I have a pond and love photographing dragonflies when they turn up, and of course any insect's I find😊 Have fun👍
That's great to hear George. I too find that it takes some time to first find the bugs and insects but once you find one and look closer, they all appear! Great you have a pond in your garden - great for wildlife :)
Yes , during lockdown I started shooting a lot more macro. I had to learn a lot and still am, your photos are very good. I also used a flashgun even on sunny's of days something else I learned about. Lockdown hasn't been a waste of time for me. Andre le roux tip about butterfly's is spot on.
Another fantastic video ... enjoyable to watch and inspiring. The pandemic has been so mentally discouraging, it is wonderful that you encourage us to turn to opportunities to do something positive such as broadening the focus of our photography. Thank you.
You have reminded me to get round the corner form my house and photograph the Marbled whites and insects on my doorstep. Great video loving the close ups 👍👍😀
That's great to hear - enjoy photographing the marbled whites and insects :) Thank you
Great video Kim!!
Very nice photos.
Gorgeous images although I did keep looking over your shoulder at that stunning coastline 😂. Totally agree about lockdown oppening your eyes more . I submerged myself into macro something hadn't done at all starting with water droplets then droplets on a single dandelion seed, very fiddly. Finally moved to little critters and bought myself some friends... a tiny jumping spider, about 0.5 scm in size and 2 baby praying mantis about 1.5cm they are absoloutely fascinating to watch and have little characters and make splendid models too. Been looking at your nisi close up lens since your last video too looks great and the results are brilliant . 👍
Brilliant video and great images as always. After being allowed to get back outside after the lockdown and sticking to the travel guidelines has made me realise that there is so much more I could photograph such as wildlife, flowers and boats.
Thank you. Great to hear that you're eyes have been opened up to whats in your local area during lockdown too. Theres so many small things to see when you take the time to look :)
Hi Kim
Your interview with Margaret, on mindfulness photography, as well in contacting her, about her course. It's given me a new perspective. In slowing down and imergin into the surroundings as well as the photo opportunity at the time.
Great video as always, thanks for sharing Kim.
That's wonderful to hear Roy. Margaret is such a lovely person and I'm glad my interview with her brought you two into contact. I hope you'll be able to attend one of her workshops in the near future. They sound lovely and I too would love to do one of hers :)
Your images are stunning.
Indeed, now I see the NiSi close-up filtered at work :) and ordered one as well. Thx for sharing.
That's great to hear Vincent - enjoy your new lens :)
I've always shot this kind of photography. Flowers, butterflies and other insects. It really does compliment landscape photography. I find that overcast days that aren't particularly good for landscape are excellent for this type of photography. The world is your soft box. So glad to see you and other TH-cam photographers discovering this form of photography. I really enjoyed your video.
Thank you Jerry. It certainly is a great compliment to do alongside landscape. I love doing macro in woodlands on an overcast or rainy day. So many amazing things to discover.
Another great vlogg Kim. I to have discovered a more intimate appreciation of nature during lock down . Although probably not macro but certainly a more close up view of the things around me.
Hi kimmy what close ups . Absolutly spectacular .I can not find any other word than that one, so much colur and perfection . Your fotograpy is so spiritually beautiful and relaxing ,You just take fotograpy to another level. Big big hugs like always kimmy from the Rock.
What a lovely comment - thank you very much Nigel.
Hi Kim, some lovely shots there. Well done. Lockdown has kept me close to home too and forced me to "look local" for new photo opportunities. A friend introduced me to the world of dragonflies and damselflies. What stunningly beautiful creatures they are, and they have the nice habit of habitually settling in the same places and often staying still long enough for you to readily get some good shots of them. There's bound to be a wee pond with plenty of them somewhere near you..
This is great to hear Alasdair. I love seeing dragonflies and damselflies but have yet to photograph them. Glad you've been enjoying this style during the restrictions.
Fascinating macro shots and detail of the pollen covered insects. Vlogs like yours have definitely inspired me to have a closer look around me during this time. It is a work in progress as I do not have dedicated macro equipment but so far I have had surprising results with my 200mm lens.
That's great to hear Johan. The great thing about this type of photography is that you can get amazing results with all equipment. Proper macro lenses allow you to really get close but cheaper alternatives like extension tubes and special close-up lenses can have amazing results too. Use what you've got and enjoy the process :)
Lovely set of images.
Thank you very much Stuart :)
Hello Kim, nice images. The beauty of macro-photography is that you can do it at almost any weather condition.
Very true Libor - it's great and thanks for the kind words.
2020 was going to be the year that I got back into location based landscae photography so I had several areas to visit in the UK and indeed booked a Youth Hostel for the first one in March. It was not to be. However I stuck to my local area and discovered a wealth of possibilities and actually developed some new skills that mean that I am now better prepared for my mission. I actually think thay my photography has improved a lot through the last few months because it has been a lifeline for my well-being as well as good for exercise. One other thing is that through your channel I have realised that the Moray Coast is an area I haven't visited (We stay in Stirling) and that will be one of my locations to visit when accommodation re-opens. Thanks for the inspiration.
When i am going to a location, I always look for photo opportunities , I call it "thinking small" , thanks Kim.
:) I look at everything a little different as i walk through my city. Hi from Canada.
what a nice channel! keep up the great content
Love the ladybugs (as we say in the southern US). One of the 1st lenses I bought was a macro lens and I have really enjoyed playing with it. Thanks for sharing Kim.
LOL. We also call them ladybugs in South Africa.
Great videos Kim. My head is always on a swivel. Even without a camera in my hand. I see as much as I can. The problem is always catching what I see. Im a newbee. Only been doing it for 30 years and I still struggle lol. One day ill get a picture im happy with. Till then I just enjoy being out.
Lockdown hasn't changed me. I still see lots.
Nice video again! I started photographing insects this year as well, because of stay-at-home! Butterflies start right now to fly, and another advice: They can smell you and that is why they fly away, so always stay at a distance and use your longest focal length, and: be patient :). Sooner or later they will land beside you!
Cool I ❤️ bugs
Hi Kim lock down has had it's up side wild life wise I'm now getting into birds which I've also started to paint and I'm seriously thinking about macro as I've never tried it and your videos on it have been wonderful to watch as was this one which had some stunning images. Until next time take care and stay safe.
Lovely. Just a butterfly tip (in my experience): They are not as flighty and twitchy if you look for them in the first hour or so after sunrise. They, as small birds do too, first warm up on their perch in the early sun before they fly about looking for pollen and the like.
Thank you very much for this tip Andre. I may need to head out bright an early to do this. I've seen some amazing sunrise and sunset shots of butterflies and always wanted to try them myself. Thanks again :)
It’s actually the morning dew that keeps them still. They need to let their wings dry before they can fly. And the dew adds a nice touch on the plants too.
@@talexanderphoto Agreed, Terrance. It is combination of all circumstances that relate to the cool or cold conditions overnight, they are not warmblooded insects.
Kim, you might also consider minding the elongated shadow you cast when you have your back to the sun. Movement of the shadow also startles them.
I also try to use a zoom lens so I'm not crowding them.
i know im asking the wrong place but does any of you know of a tool to log back into an Instagram account?
I was dumb forgot my login password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me.
Fantastic video, Scotland is so beautiful, will definetly visit.
Lockdown photography, I started playing with bunches of flowers from the florist, and experimenting with some stills, different indoor lights etc, I really enjoyed it- something different that I will continue. Have a great day :) and no I'm not posting a link to my photos haha not that good !
That sounds lovely. I've seen some great photos people have taken of bunches of flowers using lighting indoors. Lovely way to connect with nature when you can't get out and about. Hope you're able to visit Scotland in the future and when it's safe to travel once more :)
due to the shut down I have been dabbling in photography with a lens ball, plus light painting, which has been fun, nothing to do with nature but I would have never had time to play before lock down. Great photos.
Great things to try out David. I have plans to get back into light painting once summer is over and the evenings are long again. Used to do it a lot - it's so much fun :)
Some lovely images Kim, love the bee and ladybird. With the butterflies, if you are taking shots of them and they take off after you take the shot it's probably the sound of the camera, so try it in silent mode, this worked well for a friend of mine. ❤️
Thank you Martin. Sadly the butterflies were flying off before I even moved my camera to photograph them. I tried moving slowly towards them but was unable to get close enough. I may need to sit in a field and wait for them to come to me in the future to get images of them. Great tip though :)
Morning Kim, totally agree with your sentiments in this video, being forced to slow down, maybe even relax and take life in has made me more aware of my garden, the visiting wildlife and flora around me. Although lockdown restrictions are lifting down here in the South, getting out to do landscape photography is still difficult. Macro is a very enjoyable genre to get into, I got the bug(excuse the pun) just over a year ago and love being out in that macro world, everything else takes a back seat for awhile. Stay safe 📷
This is great to hear Mark. It is amazing what we can see and photograph in our gardens and surrounding areas. I hope you'll manage to get out and do more landscape shoots now lockdown is lifting. There's no travel restrictions in Scotland now but I'm going to wait a few weeks, until I travel out with my region to see how transmission and covid numbers progress.
@@kimgrantphotography Have a couple of road trips planned for next week and the week after, fingers crossed for some new videos.
I can never get too much of wildlife macro My favourite is the Ladybird on a daisy at around 7.15 on the video. Well done.
Thank you very much Brenda. Glad you liked the Ladybird photo :)
Love those photos.. I bought a 105mm macro lens a couple of years ago, but couldn't
get on with it. I found the depth of field so minute, so I sold it recently. The close up filter
looks an interesting option.
Thank you Kim, It is interesting to see that you are using a 300mm lens, I have not thought of using a longer lens for bugs and insects, I normally just use my 105 mm macro, Nice shots.
Thank you. I have a proper macro lens for my DSLR and it is great. Sadly it isn't compatible with my mirrorless camera but was fun to experiment with longer focal lengths for this style of images. I've been doing similar images with my 24-70mm lens with very similar results.
3:34 - the hairs on the wasp. Using a Z 6 camera with a mere 24 MP with an "older" design Nikon F lens (AF-S 28..300mm/3.5..5.6G ED VR) for the consumer segment on the FTZ adapter in macro mode by putting reading glasses on that lens.
All prejudices predict that this gives less good results.
In a 1K video it all looks amazing already.
Well done!
o! i just love your accent!
Good luck with your macro journey. It is something I have been doing for years as it is so addictive. Most insects are easiest to shoot in the hour before sunset, or at sunrise before they have warmed up. Butterflies roost in those hours so can often bee the best time. Another tip is to go out just after rain, bees especially get caught out and will be cold and unable to fly for a while. It can be wonderful to watch and photograph them while they clean themselves up. Hope you get as addicted as I have. Macro is a wonderful world for those days when the light and weather is against you.
Thank you very much for the tips Phill. I will have to try the sunset or sunrise hours for macro or just after rain as suggested. I think I am slowly becoming addicted to this style and will definitely be doing more moving forwards.
Some lovely images. A tip for images of Butterflies wait for them to settle and try not to cast your shadow over them as this tends to make them take to the wing. 🦋🦋 Good luck. 🦋🦋
Some lovely photos Kim, I’m glad your enthusiasm for nature photography has been enhanced by Covid. It’s winter here in Oz so the slower times made worse by Covid have me photographing mosses, lichens and slime molds with a macro set up. One tip when shooting butterfly’s is to sit in one spot and just wait for them to appear. It may take awhile but they will reappear. I use a 400mm lens for them but 300 should be fine, you may even try an extender. Budlejas or Butterfly Bush are magic at attracting butterflies so you may like to plant one. Happy snapping.
Thank you very much for the butterfly tips George. I will try them out next time I'm out and near wild flowers. Would love to get some on camera. :)
Kim Grant “Turtle and Hare!”
A silver lining to Covid! Loved the bee/hornet shots! It's amazing that the insects still tolerate us on their world, but I guess they have time and numbers on their side.
Thank you Don - there is a sliver lining to everything in life when we take the time to look :) Glad you liked the bee shots
Hi thank you for a really interesting lovely video, I do wild life photography and have recently started shooting butterflies, i use a Sigma 150-600mm (its heavy) but you can get super close up shots without disturbing them. I have subscribed and look forward to the next one
Kim, amazingly well-composed and sharp images. Did you depend more on autofocus using the focusing points or using the touch screen? Are the midges out yet? Lock-down moved me from the majority of my time being in the urban environment of the New York metropolitan area, to spending most of my time in rural South Central Pennsylvania, where I live. My photography shifted from urban scenes and fragments, to rural landscapes and immersing myself in the local history that goes back to American colonial times and telling that story with my photography.
Lockdown meant only having a few locations to shoot in. Restricted to the few locations in Edinburgh where I have been able to walk my dogs. There is a challenge in this, how to rephotograph the same things in different ways and edit to create something different. Different lenses, different angles, different distances, different apertures different light, most of all different thinking. I have about 30 images of the same broken down old gate in the woods and every one is different. So lockdown forced me to think more about the shot, more about interpretation of the scene or subject and to think more about the editing process before shooting. Lockdown has helped me to look harder and see things differently then adapt and develop the skills to make it happen. I think this has made me a better, maybe just different, photographer. This seems to be similar to what you, Kim, have experienced.
Hi there what makes you decide what setting to use for these creatures? I assume hight shutter speeds to kill movement but the other settings, Do you consider using a tripod when composing photos or is that too much work?
Loved you pictures by the way,
My normal area of photography is aviation and flowers. Graham🇬🇧
Borrow the Nikon 300mm PF f4 and you won’t need that Nisi macro adapter(I realise you’ll need the Nikon adapter) It’s light and incredibly sharp and utterly brilliant for macro! To add to its abilities you can add a teleconverter and take super sharp far off bird photos! You would adore this lens it’s so light and versatile! Treat yourself!
I love watching your videos, but I HATE, HATE bugs!! Still, you captured them beautifully!!
Thanks Guy - they aren't everyones cup or tea so appreciate you watching regardless :)
Beautiful I did that a lot during the lockdown. Mostly bumblebees. I used a 70-309mm lens with a minimal focal length of 1.5 meter. How much less focal length gives your close up filter with your lens?
Beautiful images. I am now trying street photography even though its new to me. Just trying something out of my comfort zone
That's great to hear Teddy. Trying new things can bring a new love to photography.
@@kimgrantphotography Very true. That's why I am trying it
EXCELLENT ! How to shoot in low light conditions and how much light density need to take for perfect photo.
Thank you - I sometimes find shooting bugs in low light easier. In this video, it was very sunny with a lot of harsh light. Close up in darker areas such as woodland can result in more even light and if you have access to an external flash and soft box - all the better.
I'm a miserable failure at macro photography of insects however adding extension tubes to my medium telephoto has improved my results. I'd use tubes rather than an additional lens on the front.
Great to hear that extension tubes have helped you improve this style of images. Theres quite a few ways to do macro and close up so great to experiment and find which works best for you.
I consider myself a nature photographer. Enjoying everything in nature from the tiniest of insects to the grandest of landscapes and anything in between. However, during the lockdown, I have really enjoyed photographing birds more than usual. As you know, It's best not to have a bunch of other people around when trying to photograph birds, so its perfect for keeping distance from others while doing so.
i like to capture insects bugs on flowers also, i also find it hard to photograph butterflies
Another great vlog keep them coming. What settings were you using? Shutter priority, Aperture priority or full manual?
Thanks David. I usually use aperture priority but if I remember rightly, I shot in fully manual that day :)
During lockdown I’ve found no end of butterflies visiting my small garden. This morning I was sat have my first coffee of the day and a little common blue butterfly just sat on the handle of my coffee cup. My daughter rushed to get my camera but it took off just as she got out the door. Hoping now it will come back. My camera is now by my side. Love macro photos. Take care everybody, stay safe. Graham🇬🇧🇬🇧❤️📸
Meant to ask what close up lens do you use please.
Great photos, I noticed that you have been using very high shutter speeds with high ISO, was the high speed used due to wind moving the subject. Does the z6 handle high ISO better that your previous camera. Great content again
The Z6 is great with high ISO levels. With my DSLR I would nearly always shoot at ISO100 but the Z6 has very little grain even in high ISO values. I messed around a bit with shutter speed and ISO. I found a lot of the bugs moved quickly and the shallow depth of field combined with not using a tripod, made getting things in focus tricky. The fast shutter and high ISO increased my chances of getting sharp images without blur. I could have reduced both in many of these photos but was playing with caution. :)
This covid induced lockdown is a disaster for the photographers, especially for those attached with wedding and tourism. What you are suggesting is nice for the hobbyist but for the professional, especially those not so well-off, this lockdown is just so agonising.
Lockdown certainly has been difficult for us photographers. I too earn most of my money from tourism photography and workshops, so I totally feel your pain. I guess one thing that's kept me positive during this time is accepting that we are all in the same boat and focusing on keeping my skills up and passion going, by opening my eyes to new photographic subjects. It may not have brought me any money but it's helped me learn new skills that I can use for paid work in the future and kept my mind positive during the lockdown. I hope weddings and tourism work will restart with you soon so you can begin to earn again.
We are able to go any place in Maryland, but I have yet to leave my yard. To much to shoot here.
I once tried a close up filter but found I was getting better results using extension tubes.
You're getting the hang of this macro photography thing aren't you Kim? LOL
I have been trying to photograph insects lately and would welcome a bit more info on autofocus mode, ISO and shooting mode. I have tried single spot focus but the insects move so much but group and other modes keeps focusing on the flowers. I am switching between aperture and shutter modes but can't settle on one. Anybody have any advice?
Kim
The beach pictures look like California in March and April before everything turns brown and dead because of lack of rain. This year I could bearly get out because everything was closed do to lockdown. Now the beaches are closed again and the hiking trails are overflowing with people with no trail educate or social distancing. The LA times published trail maps today now the trails will a million people on them. Sorry about the rant but it has killed my landscape photography.
Yes on opening my eyes to my backyard here in Texas. I love your Ladybird shots. It is interesting here in the United States we call them Ladybugs. I would give anything to have the ocean and cliff area you are walking by to take pictures...just incredible. The scenery here is rather dull. I noticed your shutter speed is high was it windy? Probably so because of the ocean being so close. Most of my insect shots unless they are flying or there is wind moving the flowers are shot at 1/100 and auto ISO. I use the Nikon P1000 and take advantage of getting a little more distance to not scare the Butterflies and insects. If you wait butterflies will rest on a flower for a little longer and you can catch them with their wings flat out. Please stop by Flickr.com then select people. Do a search for Fred Fleming you should see a profile picture with my wife giving me a hug around the neck. I have some backyard critter pictures from lockdown. Thank you enjoyed your video very much.
28 - 300mm would mean a drop in quality as a big range
What you call "lady birds" we call "lady bugs" here in the US. I live in Tennessee, which is dubbed the "greenest state in the country." It's also home to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (part of the Appalachian Mountains, which run up the East coast of the US). I strongly urge you to visit the Smokies for at least a couple of days, if & when you ever cross the Atlantic. It was mostly your ancestors that immigrated to these beautiful "living" mountains a couple hundred years ago. Fortunately, they brought their music with them, which has evolved today into our Country & Bluegrass music. Under "normal" times, there are numerous music festivals throughout the Appalachians honoring the music (and folklore) that your own ancestors provided us with.
And speaking of lady bugs, I have a full size van, and at sometime in past years the lady bugs nested & laid eggs somewhere in my van. Now, every Spring, 1000's hatch inside the van. It's a mess. I have to open all the doors for a few days so they can fly away. And no, I have no idea where the nest is!! We have a superstition here that it is bad luck to kill a lady bug, so I make sure they all get out safely. Have you ever heard that in Scotland?
PS - During our "self-isolation" time, I have cultivated a substantial size flower garden in my front yard. My neighbor, across the street, has done the same thing in her front yard, but opted to plant veggies instead of flowers. So this has been my main "go-to" for photography since March. I don't own a macro lens, so I purchased a pair of extension tubes (as opposed to the close-up filter that you bought). Keeps me sane, and keeps a "smile" on my camera.
The Z Lens 24-200 is i think better for this job.
Just ordered that lens a few days ago - can't wait to try it