Less is more.

[neevo]

Thought I would share 2 learnings I had from today. The first came when I bought a very cheap flash bracket, the second came when the bracket didn't reach past my lens with all of the extension.

The first thing I learned was that having the flash to the left or right of the lens lead to not only a more even diffusion of light but was more consistent and had the potential for more power.

The second learning was that I have been using too much extension. This is probably because my technique isn't up to scratch just yet, but with closer working distances and fewer tubes on the lens I was able to get considerably more consistent results.

I had a few keepers from today with nice crisp definition even at 100%. See below for some examples:

[BeardyWeirdy]

Nice shots - early morning? getting them to stay still is always hard!

[southernbelle]

Beautiful!!

[neevo]

Originally Posted by BeardyWeirdy

Nice shots - early morning? getting them to stay still is always hard!

No it was midday actually. I suppose it is luck of the draw, last time I went out none of them stood still, today was totally different.

[windrider86]

wonderfully done. I finally got me an extension for my flash so i can hold it off to one side. i cant wait till it gets warmenr and there might be a big or two outside

[Canadian Mum]

very nice.
I am looking forward to warmer weather too... so that some lovely dragon flies and friends will arrive!

[neevo]

The problem now is that the "el cheapo" I have used once has lead to a massive amount of lust for something a little better. So the next item on the purchase list is:

www.adorama.com/images/Product/NVFGB.jpg

[Fogsister]

I'm trying to learn what you learned:
1. Flash bracket is great.
2. You used too many extention tubes?

It's yes and yes?

[neevo]

Flash bracket is fantastic. Getting the flash right up by the end of the lens and to the left gave me a great natural even light. Results were MUCH more consistent.

Secondly reducing the amount of extension made a massive difference. Mainly because it allowed me to get closer but still deliver the same magnification (I use it with a 70-210 zoom)but without the cost of losing stops of light. I had to improve my technique a little when it came to stalking but the results I had that day were by far the best ever!

In short:

Yes, and

Yes.

I think its easy to get stuck in the trap of sticking on all of the extension to try and achieve the biggest magnification but sometimes this is counter productive.