This article shares some one handed macro flash test images of butterflies recently captured at the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory.
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As regular readers know, I typically prefer natural lighting for my macro photography, but I do periodically use my M.Zuiko STF-8 Twin Macro Flash.
One of the challenges that we face when using macro lenses is getting close enough to our subjects. This can be particularly challenging when we are in a public facility like the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory, that has physical barriers along the walkways.
During a recent visit to the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory I decided to push myself and my camera gear by doing a one handed macro flash test.
To make it as challenging as I could I specifically identified butterflies that were perched well above my head, or were far enough away from the walkway barriers that I would have to fully extend my right arm, and shoot one handed, to get my camera close enough to capture an image.
As can be imagined some of the shooting angles presented their own challenges. The fully articulating rear screen on my E-M1X was an integral part of whatever success I had. So too was the small size and manoeuverability of the STF-8 Twin Macro Flash.
I did my best to compose my images as full frame captures… but I ended up needing to crop a very small number of my test images.
My E-M1X fitted with an M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS lens, and M.Zuiko STF-8 Twin Macro Flash with 4 Panasonic rechargeable batteries weighs about 1850 grams (~4.1 pounds).
Trying to hold this set-up steady while trying to compose a one handed macro flash test image… with my right arm fully extended… was an interesting challenge.
My session at the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory lasted almost two hours. I must confess that my right wrist was a bit tender the next morning, and it took a couple of days to fully recover.
It was also challenging to move my single, small auto-focusing point using my thumb on one of the twin joysticks on my E-M1X while my right arm was in a fully extended position.
Many of my compositions were not terribly creative as I often left my AF point in centre frame, then composed my images based on that positioning.
The centre frame AF point wasn’t a huge impediment. As long as I exercised some patience I was able to shoot past some foreground obstructions.
Shooting with the STF-8 Twin Macro Flash did come in handy to help freeze the motion of butterflies fluttering as they fed.
I ended up missing quite a high number of images… often because I didn’t get my shooting angle quite right, and the head of the butterfly did not remain in focus. Missing a lot of photographic attempts is always a good sign that I pushed myself hard enough during a test session.
One of my most challenging images of the day is the photograph above. This butterfly was perched amongst some foliage well above my head. Using my dual gripped E-M1X with its articulating rear screen, and easily accessible controls, was a godsend in terms of being able to capture this image.
I held my camera up for a vertical composition and in a slightly forward position. This allowed me to still roughly compose from the rear screen. It took a few attempts to get my framing the way I wanted it… but ultimately I got the image I had in my mind.
I used TTL (through the lens) metering and initially had my camera set to a shutter speed of 1/250 and an aperture of f/11. You’ll see that some of the images were captured at 1/200 and f/10 as I made the rookie mistake of not double checking my settings between image captures. I had inadvertently nudged my controls a few times and didn’t realize it.
Overall, this one handed macro flash test was very beneficial. I proved to myself that I could consistently capture usable images of subject butterflies that were perched at challenging distances that necessitated one handed shooting with my right arm fully extended.
This practical knowledge will further extend what is possible for me in the field when shooting handheld macro photography.
Technical Note
Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from RAW files using my standard process in post, and were captured with the aid of the M.Zuiko STF-8 Twin Macro Flash. This is the 1534 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.
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