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Just your common garden locust. I was going to focus stack him but it proved rather problematic. I did consider a six inch nail after an hour or so.
| Title: | Locust |
| Username: | 
CaptivePhotons |
| Uploaded: | 1 Oct 2012 - 6:45 AM |
| Tags: | Close-up / macro, Locust |
| Votes: | 12 |
Comments
Quote: I did consider a six inch nail after an hour or so.
Welcome to my world, did you try chilling him down in the fridge for a wee while beforehand, that normally works, but not with every species admittedly. I'm assuming it was a captive specimen bred for the pet trade as opposed to a wild one, if this was the case and he was going to end up as something's lunch anyway, 5 minutes in the freezer would have probably killed him and then allowed you to set him up as you wished. Not something I endorse, but if it was obtained as live food for a reptile or such like he was going to die anyway, so I don't have a problem with it.
Considering the conditions you were under and the fact it's a one shot image, I don't think you could have done much better, well done to you....
Ade
Thanks all
Quote: I'm assuming it was a captive specimen bred for the pet trade
Correct, very low cost locusts 
Quote: did you try chilling him down in the fridge for a wee while beforehand
Yup, did that, tried completely freezing one too. I also made a kill jar with ethyl acetate. The problem with both of these methods is that the frozen specimen froze in odd poses and the kill jar method kept them soft and supple but they were to limp, the jaws for instance rested on the floor and the antennae got 'brewers droop'.
I think I'm trying to be a little too ambitious at the moment. I was trying for a stack of 40-50 shots and although the camera was set to fire automatically, leaving me to concentrate on adjusting the focus rail, it was still taking a little too long.
More practice required. 
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