Nature is a wonderful source of curious subjects. In this case, it was a pristine cicada cocoon hanging on the trunk of a tree. Being under a tree meant no direct light at all, so here is where speedlites come into action.
Empty Cicada Cocoon - Backlighted with one speedlite fitted with a custom grid
Cicada Cocoon- Added a second speedlite with a small reflector to add some fill, providing a better rendering of the natural environment where the cocoon was found. Using a ratio 4:1 ensured that the fill wouldn't overpower the backlight to preserve the transparent effect.
Cicada cocoon - how to
Flower Close-up, taken with a MR-14EX Macro ring light. A typical issue of macro photography with a ring flash is that backgrounds are rendered very dark due to close distance of the flash to the subject and the light fall off on the background.
flower close-up with MR-14EX Macro Ring light. Using the wireless master capabilities of the MR-14EX, we can independently light the background with another flash (a 580EX in slave mode in this case).