Sat at the Top of the Leaf

There was not much to see on Saturday night in the garden, despite it being so warm, which I hoped would bring out a few late nocturnal insects.

The only critters around included snails (always abundant!) and a couple of passing micro-moths, and one harvestman.

I took a few of this Phalangium opilio the leaf it was on behind it, but they ended up as just another series of enviro shots with the harvestman plonked in the middle.

I went to extreme lengths to get the angle you see here. My tripod whilst strong and steady, doesn't easily get low for macro work (Manfrotto's O55X Pro B) because you have to pull the centre column out and set it parallel which makes some angles nigh on impossible. So it ended up as a race against time to get the camera in the right position to try and create some dynamics that would give the photo something a bit different.

Any, perseverance prevailed and I managed to get this one where the harvestman was positioned nicely at the top of a leaf (this is a sea holly) and the use of al 3 extension tubes meant a good tight composition to focus on it's best feature - the head! Marumi ringflash used to fill the light from the overhead security light on the wall above me and the subject.

C&C as always appreciated.


Exif:

Camera Maker: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 550D
Lens: 105mm
Image Date: 2011-10-01 23:02:49 +0000
Focal Length: 105mm
Aperture: f/6.7
Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60)
ISO equiv: 100
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: Yes (Auto, return light detected)
Orientation: Normal
Color Space: sRGB
GPS Coordinate: undefined, undefined
Photographer: Paul Iddon
Copyright: www.pauliddon.co.uk

Brand:	Canon
Camera:	Canon EOS 550D
Lens:	105mm
Recording media:	JPEG (digital)
Date Taken:	1 Oct 2011 - 11:02 PM
Focal Length:	105mm
Lens Max Aperture:	f/2.8
Aperture:	f/6.7
Shutter Speed:	1/60sec
Exposure Comp:	0.0
ISO:	100
Exposure Mode:	Aperture-priority AE
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Flash:	On, Fired

Title:	Sat at the Top of the Leaf
Username:	Paul_Iddon
Uploaded:	2 Oct 2011 - 9:41 AM
Tags:	Canon eos 550d, Close-up / macro, Garden, Harvestman, Macro, Nature, Paul Iddon
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Votes:	8