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Companion image to yesterdays upload of a Common Darter Dragonfly, it this instance the stack is made up of 40 slightly different images layered over each other using Zerene in order to give me all the DOF I wanted at x2 magnification.
Many thanks for all the votes, comments and UA awards bestowed on yesterdays image, believe me when I say they are especially appreciated because of all the work done to create these difficult to achieve images. But more than anything your comments are therapeutic in getting my health back to where it was a few months ago after my recent bout of mental illness. They give me the impetus and motivation to try and sort myself out and get back to normality again.
I seem to have sorted out the interference issues I was having with the hedgehog webcams, so fingers crossed they stay stable today. There's currently as I speak a piggy in residence, albeit it's fast asleep in the back of box, but it will move around a fair bit during the day until it goes out foraging in the garden again at dusk
Thanks once again folks, here's hoping everyone has a super weekend.......Ade
Ade's Hedgehog Webcam
| Camera: | Canon EOS 50D |
| Lens: | Canon EF MP-E 65mm Macro @ x2 magnification |
| Recording media: | RAW (digital) |
| Title: | Common Darter |
| Username: | 
Ade_Osman |
| Uploaded: | 8 Sep 2012 - 8:02 AM |
| Tags: | Close-up / macro, Common darter, Digitally manipulated, Dragonfly, Extreme close up, Flash / lighting, General, Odonata, Wildlife / nature |
| Votes: | 60 |
Comments
Your patience and skill, not to mention the resultant image, are amazing, Ade.
Dave
A fantastic piece of work Ade but sadly I totally disagree with your ethics of how you go about it. Do you know that whilst it is in this form after emergence it has a duty and a life long ambition and built in instinct to breed. This has been curtailed from your ambition to get the photo. Also how do you know that it is ok after with handling and induced aenesthetic.
The saying is always put the creature first, this is definately not the case and I am sorry makes me very angry.
Richard
You have a your beliefs Richard and I'm not going to argue the toss over it, however 
This is a very common species and is unprotected. Whilst it was anaesthetised, (not euthanised) it did go back to the wild unharmed! It's also a recognised way of doing things by the Amateur Entomologists' Society of which I'm a member. I do know how to handle these wonderful creatures and every care is take to ensure that no damage is caused, inevitably I do have the odd mishap, although it's very rare. To put it all into context, you, I and just about everyone else will kill insects every time they get into their cars and blast down the motorway at 70mph. Based on your arguement are we going to stop doing this?
Whilst I show my work on EPZ, I am very much the amateur photographer and I don't sell my images, but I do exhibit my images elsewhere and my images are used by various different charitable organisations 'free of charge' for educational purposes, these include both the National Trust and the various Wildlife Trusts local to my location. They know what I do and how I get my images and have never once questioned my ethics in getting the images are they are fully aware of how said images are made.
If I hadn't stated how these images are achieved, no-one would be the wiser. I rarely use this method in getting these images, most of the time I use the much more natural way and that's by cooling them down in the fridge. With some species though, including dragonflies, this can put the specimen into shock and thus kill them. I don't kill them unless it's necessary and then it will only be with such species as flies and wasps......Something everyone does!
Please don't condemn me for what I do, remember I do what I do with knowledge in the pursuit of knowledge. I wouldn't dream of telling you how to take a wedding image, please don't tell me about how to practice macro imagery.....Nuff said I think, however if you wish to talk further about it PM me mate rather than do it here, because you know how we can argue 
I only tell folk how the image was taken because I get asked an awful lot and so that there is no speculation...
Cheers for the comments of which you are fully entitled to make, regards.....Ade
Many thanks for the explanation Ade and the concise knowledge. Each to their own on this and everyone to their own views and opinions. I presumed it wasn't harmed, but still believe the better way is to find them early when it is cooler and they stay still like this naturally.
Its still a fantastic close up in my opinion and grateful again for the explanation.
Richard
Fantastic macro it sets the bench mark for us all. amazing ...
John
Astounding detail in this extreme close up, a magnificent magnified macro image mate, you are undoubtedly a master of your craft. I agree with Richard to some extent as I prefer to see these mini beasts snapped in the wild rather than in studio surrounds, but I would never question your ethics as from seeing you in action out in the field I know that you are dedicated and passionate about your wildlife and always put their interests first above anything else.
Many thanks for the kind comments guys.
You only have to look at the amount of time and investment I'm putting in with the Hedgehogs (definitely a protected species) at the moment to see my passion. It's cost me a small fortune on the quiet what with the cameras, timber, food and all the other paraphernalia I've had to get, plus there's all the professional advice I've had to seek out. What's more, up to now I've only been out in the garden and tried to photograph them on two occasions and then it was a only just a couple of shots.....I've been trying to just acclimatise them to me and me moving around in the garden while they are 'visiting' until such time they are reasonably confident I'm not going to harm them in anyway. But I'm trying to do it in such a way that I don't tame them at the same time......Hence the reason my p/f isn't stuffed full of hedgepigge images. They will come, but when I and others more informed than me decide the times right! As Carol very succinctly made the point earlier I'm very patient......These things can't be rushed and certainly not at the expense of the hedgehogs or any others creature welfare.
Thanks again to all for both your understanding and for not totally castigating me. 
Ade
Another excellent shot Ade.
And just too get my tuppence worth in regarding comments here.
When I worked in the railway,our first job when the train came into the depot,
was to clean all the dead insects of the windscreen,engine cowlings,airducts,carriage sides,and God knows where else !!
Just to put things in perspective here I think !!
Mick.
fantastic image and along with others I have enjoyed your commentary and fabulous detail in these images
I have read all of the above with great interest.
I agree with the alien connection here.
Nice work again, Ade, and a lot of dedication.
No hedgies coming out to play at the moment
.
While I'm with Richard in the way of taking my insects I accept that you cannot possibly get a shot like this by stalking and shooting. Let us be honest, who would invest all the work Ade puts into the scientifically perfected shots? You have to be paid for it or be very enthusiastic about the beauty of insects.
The results are stunning, absolutely perfect.
And I would be glad to see them in a book one day as they well deserve it.
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