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Author Topic:   Hind Sight is 2020
Tanypteryx
Member
Posts: 4344
From: Oregon, USA
Joined: 08-27-2006
Member Rating: 5.9


(8)
Message 1 of 15 (883380)
12-03-2020 10:15 PM


I think it was about a year ago when I stopped being active here at EvC.
Then along came Covid-19 and changed everyone's life. Life for my wife and I didn't change that much. Early on, in February we went into total isolation. We ordered and picked up groceries and occasionally filled up with petrol. We were masked and gloved and distanced and so far we have avoided getting sick.
Over last winter I was photographing the development of several species of dragonfly embryos in the egg. It became clear by April that I wasn't going to be able to travel to meetings or on collecting trips.
My other major project the last couple years has been shooting portraits of dragonfly heads (with living colors) from many different angles. I'm using very high resolution microscope objectives for these projects and my own custom built focus stacking system.
So, what to do? I ended up having one of the most productive season of my life. I shot many of species from local habitats that I usually paid less attention to. Wow! I am finding all sorts of interesting features that I was not aware of before. I shot so many sets of images that I will have many that still need to be processed on my computer. Each image stack takes 6-20 hours to process, so lots to keep me busy over this winter, plus I am working with more dragonfly eggs.
I have been very lucky to not have my life destroyed by the pandemic or the economic upheaval. I hope everyone here is doing ok and staying well!

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python
One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie
If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy
The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by Phat, posted 12-03-2020 11:24 PM Tanypteryx has not replied
 Message 3 by nwr, posted 12-04-2020 12:57 AM Tanypteryx has not replied
 Message 4 by AZPaul3, posted 12-04-2020 2:49 AM Tanypteryx has replied

  
Tanypteryx
Member
Posts: 4344
From: Oregon, USA
Joined: 08-27-2006
Member Rating: 5.9


(3)
Message 5 of 15 (883392)
12-04-2020 11:42 AM
Reply to: Message 4 by AZPaul3
12-04-2020 2:49 AM


These are still attached to their bodies, yes?
Yep. Positioning the specimen is way easier with the head attached. I have a special clip that holds the wings folded together over the back. The color of the eyes changes after death and the optical qualities fade as each ommatidia (facet) becomes opaque.
What's the going rate for a full portrait portfolio?
Prints up to 16x24 inches sell for $100. Each specimen will have 6-10 different shots (each "shot" is a composite of 200-500 individual exposures). Many dragonfly species exhibit sexual dimorphism, where males and females look different, plus in many species there may be an andromorph female that looks like a male. On top of that, immature adults may look quite different from mature individuals. All that gives me a bunch of potential subjects to shoot.
Marketing my work really is not my goal, because it takes time that I would rather spend creating images. I was approached back before the pandemic by a person at the Field Museum in Chicago about a large display of images and a presentation, but I really need an agent to take care of all that. I think it's going to be quite a while after the pandemic is over before that sort of project will be possible to organize. Museums are hurting and many may end up being permanently closed.
Right now I am trying to figure out a practical way to take my imaging system on the road next summer.

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python
One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie
If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy
The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by AZPaul3, posted 12-04-2020 2:49 AM AZPaul3 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 6 by AZPaul3, posted 12-04-2020 4:34 PM Tanypteryx has replied

  
Tanypteryx
Member
Posts: 4344
From: Oregon, USA
Joined: 08-27-2006
Member Rating: 5.9


Message 7 of 15 (883400)
12-04-2020 5:58 PM
Reply to: Message 6 by AZPaul3
12-04-2020 4:34 PM


You could offer some of your dragonfly models a reduced rate on a full portrait spread if they'll help fly your equipment around. You might even consider offering to not poison and pin the model before the photo shoot.
We don't pin dragonflies because once they are dry they are very fragile. We use special transparent envelopes with all the collecting data on 3x5 cards. Museum quality specimens that will last hundreds of years are possible and quite easy to achieve with the right methodology.
A motorhome that will sleep 5 people separately and with room for my computer and imaging system, plus the money to fuel it, is probably more than I could raise with a "Go Fund Me" appeal.

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python
One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie
If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy
The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq

This message is a reply to:
 Message 6 by AZPaul3, posted 12-04-2020 4:34 PM AZPaul3 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 8 by jar, posted 12-04-2020 6:07 PM Tanypteryx has replied
 Message 14 by AZPaul3, posted 12-31-2020 6:06 PM Tanypteryx has not replied

  
Tanypteryx
Member
Posts: 4344
From: Oregon, USA
Joined: 08-27-2006
Member Rating: 5.9


Message 9 of 15 (883402)
12-04-2020 6:40 PM


Also became a cannabis farmer
Cannabis is legal in Oregon and this year once it was obvious that I was going to be stuck at home this year, I decided to grow 4 plants. The next door neighbor has a friend who is a commercial grower and was selling clones for half the price from most suppliers.
I wanted plants that produced a lot of resin and terpines and that turned purplish when they bloomed. Primarily I was hoping for interesting photo subjects. I got 4 different strains on May 1 and planned to grow them indoors under an LED grow light. Once the clones rooted in my 5 gallon pots they grew rapidly. In June I noticed a few aphids so I collected some lady bugs at a spot I knew and they made short work of the aphids.
At the end of July I noticed a fungus, powdery mildew, on a few leaves. This is caused by letting the humidity get too high. Anyway, I moved the plants outdoors to the garden and treated them for the mildew. They had really outgrown my indoor area so I left them outside.
In September they started blooming and were looking great and then we had a weather event, high winds from the east, coupled with terrible wildfires in the Cascades that brought heavy smoke and an ashfall that coated my plants overnight. The resin tricomes on the flowers are very sticky and a coating of fine ash was permanently stuck on. Mold and bacteria soon took over and I had to toss the plants.
I had taken a few cuttings before they bloomed and started 3 new plants under the light. They are growing well and I have taken step to correct the mistakes I made with the first crop. Keeping these plants at 18 hours of light per day will keep them in a vegetative state. Once they have gotten as large as my space will accommodate I can induce blooming by changing the light to 12 hours a day and also making it redder. I will take new cuttings just before I induce blooming for the next generation.
The wildfires totally destroyed several small towns just a few miles east of here. 2020 has been the worst year for humanity in my lifetime.

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python
One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie
If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy
The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq

Replies to this message:
 Message 12 by dwise1, posted 12-18-2020 2:54 PM Tanypteryx has not replied
 Message 13 by Capt Stormfield, posted 12-30-2020 2:55 PM Tanypteryx has not replied

  
Tanypteryx
Member
Posts: 4344
From: Oregon, USA
Joined: 08-27-2006
Member Rating: 5.9


Message 10 of 15 (883403)
12-04-2020 6:44 PM
Reply to: Message 8 by jar
12-04-2020 6:07 PM


Not if it is marketed properly as a "Fund to stop the steal".
And I could promise not to vote for either republican in the Georgia senate runoff.

What if Eleanor Roosevelt had wings? -- Monty Python
One important characteristic of a theory is that is has survived repeated attempts to falsify it. Contrary to your understanding, all available evidence confirms it. --Subbie
If evolution is shown to be false, it will be at the hands of things that are true, not made up. --percy
The reason that we have the scientific method is because common sense isn't reliable. -- Taq

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by jar, posted 12-04-2020 6:07 PM jar has not replied

  
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