The guy with a butterfly net - catching, prepping, and shooting fresh insects 

Played for a fool, by a wee bird! He needs to cut out the pretend broken wing act before someone with a bigger butterfly net "rescues" him and drops him off at the vet. He was still there when I went by yesterday. I'll find a new patch of grass.

@@AllanWallsPhotography Yes, it's an odd behaviour but they are really committed to it. I was out doing bird photography once and was just walking back to my truck when I came upon a killdeer exhibiting that behaviour just ahead of me. He kept it up for at least 500 feet. I think he must have thought he had me completely fooled. I thought he's not going to stop so I took a hard right and walked quite a way before he thought I was no longer a threat and flew back to the nesting area. Made the walk back a lot longer with a heavy lens and tripod. The little troublemaker!

Thanks Richard. You nailed it... the joy in doing this comes from the learning and sharing. We're all in this together.

That's what Robbie said as well. Does everyone in the world know about this avian trickery, except me?!

@@AllanWallsPhotography If you check my Insta you'll see I do a lot of bird photography and that's the only reason I know about this.

Allan Walls Photography “Punked by a Plover”. Sounds like good tutorial fodder.

If you do tell your psychiatrist, which I strongly advise against, please do not bring up my name. It might get back to mine, and I agreed not to entice people to play in the compost heap.

Allan Walls Photography It’s a deal, I dread that straitjacket now. I did get a nice woodlouse to focus stack though in my beginners wary.

Thanks! Should have it done today!

Thank you! I really appreciate the kind words!

Hi Robert... should be out this week!

Thanks Mark - will do!

Thanks, Yorbjørn. Be sure to watch the net-building video!

I'm sitting here waiting for it, while also waiting for FedEx to deliver my new Nikon PB-6 bellows. :-P

Hi Mario, I normally wouldn't recommend this, but putting the insect in a freezer for 5 minutes will kill it right away. Just don't leave it in there for too long. Loved the image you shared on FB!

@@AllanWallsPhotography Thanks Allan for your advice a courage to continue practicing. I really love your character and how you explain.

Fascinating stuff Dale! I am not against the idea of mating 2-3 feet off the ground, but would strongly caution against doing so on I-95, at least in the Jacksonville area. I hear that I-10 may be safer.

@@AllanWallsPhotography I'm not sure that 10 is safe, but ANYTHING is safer that 95. You won't believe how many truckers refuse flat out to drive on 95.

Hey Joel - thank you for the kind words! I'm sure our paths will cross one of these days!

Hey Stephen. I did that once, and I have never experienced humiliation like that, before or since. A few of the children were actually hooting and weeping with delight. I thought that might have been what the plover was doing.

@@AllanWallsPhotography You are a great sport, Allan.

Thanks Norman... Is it just plovers, or all all birds trying to make me look like a gullible old fool on video? Hahaha... this bird had me 100% tricked, he's even better at fooling me than my kids are, and that's saying something!

@@AllanWallsPhotography There are a few birds that will use this tactic to draw you away from there nests, kids on the other hand tend to draw you in to there traps...

Thanks for watching!

Thanks Jordan, glad to have you onboard!

I will try it! Does it stink?

@@AllanWallsPhotography No smell especially after the 4 hrs. It is great stuff.

Hey Pete - CT tech? Cool. I can't believe you are making your own fabric! Do you have any videos of the process? I would be fascinated to see how you do that.

@@AllanWallsPhotography Email sent. :)

Thanks Gerardo!

Hi Eduard. The chemical used to rapidly kill insects is called ethyl acetate. It is very effective and quick, and does not cause the insects to go into spasm. You may also use acetone, which is also effective but tends to evaporate very quickly. Ethyl acetate, soaked into cotton (or plaster of Paris) lasts much longer and remains effective for days without needing to "recharge" the cotton. Ethyl acetate can be purchased online in the US, but may not be available in other countries. Acetone, however, can be purchased in most hardware stores (it is a common solvent) and is the primary ingredient in many nail varnish removing products (make sure you get 100% acetone). I hope that helps!

@@AllanWallsPhotography Very helpful, thank you!

@@AllanWallsPhotography Im a Biologist, at university we used plaster of paris. A drop of ether lasted a long time. But most of the time we've been high opening our jars.. 😂

Well, all the suggestions below are good ones, if you can find the chemicals, but I prefer to use a cotton ball dipped in ethyl acetate. It is less harmful to humans that acetone, but just as effective at putting them to sleep. It is easy to find here, but I don't know if it will be where you are. Acetone (nail polish remover) would be a reasonable alternative. Be warned - this is not good with spiders - arachnids just seem to get high, go to sleep and wake up a few hours later in a really bad mood, when they will either try to attack you or just pull themselves off your pin and wander away.

Hi Hill, you won't need a sewing machine - I used to make them by hand. Just a bit faster with the machine. Good point on the tracing paper - for using as diffusion material, I have a huge roll, 5' wide, of architects' drafting paper. It is a beautiful diffuser when I need a very large, soft light source (usually for product photography). But for macro use and insect prep I use Master's Touch Premium Tracing Pad (product # 1545193). You can get it at Hobby Lobby for $7.99 for 50 sheets. It is by far the best paper I have found for this kind of work. It is very heavy, at 45lb.

@@AllanWallsPhotography Thanks Allan. Apparently all Hobby Lobby stores are currently closed so I checked on their website and as of this reply, the tracing pads are 50% off ($5.49) for anyone that's interested. That's a decent deal other than the cost of shipping and waiting a week or two to get them.

Indeed, Alan - I'll know to move on to a different spot in the future.

Thanks Russell - I have learned so much from this incident - I can assure you, I will steer clear of the area from now on!

I thought everything in your neck of the woods was intent on killing and/or eating you. So, I imagine that your plovers are probably venomous, with talons and needle sharp teeth. I can assure you that nothing I make with my sewing machine would be fit for implanting in anyone's chest - we have PTFE for that!

@@AllanWallsPhotography Hello Allan, yes, our plovers do have spurs and are very protective of their young and will attack if one gets too near their nest or young. I forgot to mention the 'dstraction' methods they employ to take one away from their nest/young area. We have a wide variety of native fauna, birds etc on our natural bush 5-acre property, and I am regularly recording their activities day and night with varous cameras, amazing what one learns just by observing their behaviour. I still have a few home sewn Dacron 'arteries' in my medical museum collection (some would call me a Magpie) I call it 'History'. It is quite amazing what did work back in those early days in Leeds-a well known centre for scientific and medical/surgical inventions and breakthroughs. Keep up the excellent video productions-a great resource for those interested in macro work. Stay Safe, from 'Down Under" in Tasmania 42 South.

Hi Allan, A pity I no longer have access to a scanning electron microscope, we could put a whole new meaning to 'macro' photography, really fascinating moving to the next level. I took all this equipment for granted, which was in my photographic plates and cut film days, where one did not take images at the rate we do today in the digital age. I was born too early-I would like another 10-year stint with the modern equipment now available where I used to work/play.

Thanks Lau! He certainly had me fooled!

Hi Pete, since learning all this, I plan to move to a different area at the first sign of a frightened plover. I didn't mention this, but that little bird was loud! Quite an unmistakeable sound. Live and learn.

Good question, Richard. Usually I shoot them head on and let the far parts drop out of focus, but I have made several macro-panoramas to get the entire beast tack sharp. Lot of work, that is!

Hi Philip - that is a particularly difficult lens to work with. I am in the process of getting my hands on one to do a tutorial that will cover the lens and the lighting setups you could use. If you still need help after watching the video, just let me know!

@@AllanWallsPhotography Thank you very much Allan and i look forward to another excellent video, i have watched most of your videos and have learnt such a lot and i keep practising and watching them again and its improved no end, regards Phil. from Dover Kent in the UK

Hahaha - happens all the time - you get used to it!

top of the thorax or abdomen between the wings at the centerline? Generally I'm most interesting in the eyes of head but you never know what you can find

It is a case by case decision that depends entirely on what I am trying to emphasize in the image. Typically the ventral mid-thorax is my starting point, but if that isn't going to work for the shot I have in mind, I'll consider the abdominal segment, often choosing to pin the lateral abdomen (away from the camera, of course).

It kills insects.

Hi Scott. Yes, it was a Nikon 50mm f/1.8D - the one with the manual aperture ring. I would have to go back and look at my extension, but at about 150mm from the sensor, it should have been getting close to 3:1.

Hi Greg, It was 87 images at 50um per slice (I think!)

@@AllanWallsPhotography Thanks for that Allan. Great shot.

It is a glass vial. They come in every imaginable size - I think this is where I bought mine... www.premiumvials.com/240-pk-glass-pre-roll-tubes-with-black-child-resistant-caps-20x110-mm-for--packaging/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwtLT1BRD9ARIsAMH3BtW6i18EUldr8SPcqksXQMQQj9YQxW_yF9y4p45KSVwyF_YN7HJXvUoaAsiwEALw_wcB

@@AllanWallsPhotography LOL! Thanks for that info, but what I was asking was what is the stuff that you put on the cotton that is inside the tube that kills the bugs? Thanks!

@@kevintewksbury5670 Hey Kevin - So I'm supposed to read ALL the words in the question? Good to know! Sorry about that... it is ethyl acetate. A readily available solvent that quickly sedates and then dispatches the bugs. You can find it online - it comes as "insect killing fluid" for $10 for a couple of ounces, and as ethyl acetate, for $20 for a liter. I suggest you get the latter, as the killing jar fluid is absurdly overpriced. Acetone also works, but is more volatile and evaporates away too quickly to be reliable in the field. I get mine here... www.eio.com/products/mg-chemicals-9620-945ml-ethyl-acetate?variant=15313540907074&BuildingConsumables&gclid=Cj0KCQjw17n1BRDEARIsAFDHFezy4hZBs_6Vw38J9L-zchXmzTFxaAAVsaNvTRjRIUpr_Reb_wwJm3saAkwREALw_wcB

He succeeded! Thanks William!

Hi Celina... it consists of an articulating arm with two small super clamps - one on each end. One clamp is attached to the focusing rail and the other holds an Exact knife handle. The knife handle is the perfect size and shape to hold a size "0" insect pin. In the next video I will show the device in more detail and I'll provide some links for the various parts. Thanks!

Hi Andy. I know it's confusing... born in Liverpool, grew up in Sussex, entire family is from Scotland, and I've been living in the southern US for several decades. I have no idea what my accent is anymore.

Then you are free not to kill them. I take no pleasure in it, but it is a necessary step in preparing the kind of high definition images that I produce. What I do in raising awareness of the tiny insects that I work with is a significant net benefit to the same species that are sacrificed, in that it help educate the public about the importance of these barely visible organisms, and about their precarious existence. Humanely killing a few dozen flies that are too small for you to see is an exceptionally small price to pay - you kill more bugs by eating a vegetable that has been treated with pesticides, or taking a shower, or driving a car for one mile.

@@AllanWallsPhotography You still kill living creatures for money. And I want to say - it is not ok. Even if you do it in the name of science, it is still killing. There are ways to do detail and sharp images without killing, but they are hard And - don't you eat vegetables? don't use car? never taking shower? How do you balance this killings?

Hi, thanks for you comment, but I respectfully disagree with your opinion that this is unethical. Creating highly detailed photographic records of this type is of significant value to those seeking to learn about the anatomy, morphology, species variation, range, adaptations, and countless other details about these amazing creatures. For some, these images are also prized as culturally important pieces of art. In both respects, the sacrifice of a few insects is a necessary condition for an overwhelmingly constructive outcome. The benefits to our species far outweigh the infinitesimal impact on insect populations, and as such, what we do is demonstrably ethical.

Hi, Alan thanks for your reply. I'm sorry but for this kind of thing, there are scientific papers. None of the things you talked about can be learned simply by catching random bugs to take pictures of them. (and I know what I'm talking about being a biologist). moreover, some species of insects are very delicate and with few specimens and killing, someone can have serious consequences. As for being works of art, I still have to disagree. killing to take a picture is not art. it's just killing. I don't want to fight, but we clearly think oppositely.

@@jackvulpes Hello! I appreciate the care you have for even the little insects. As another biologist with training in entomology, I would have to disagree with the idea that anatomy and physiology, morphology, and adaptations of most insects and the minute arthropods could be learned by professionals or enthusiasts without the selective killing and preserving of the specimens. Take for instance Arthur Evans' incredible work "Beetles of Eastern North America" in which he describes and catalogs over 1,400 species of beetle with photographs. On page 36 of that book he writes, "Only by having them in hand will you have the opportunity to critically examine the physical features necessary to facilitate accurate species identification and develop an understanding of their evolutionary relationships and classification..." It is truly unfortunate that some insects must be killed to be thoroughly studied. Fortunately they are rather prolific and with ethical collecting as Allan has done i.e., using established methods to take only what can be used and not over-harvesting, they will be around for longer than we will. I don't expect to change your mind, but do hope you will come to realize that he is following well-established practices for the study and preservation insect species. Thanks, and I hope you have a good day.