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Steve Maxson
06-29-2012, 05:28 PM
There are about 1,000 species of Robber Flies (Family Asilidae) in North America and some, like this one, are mimics of bumble bees. They are aerial predators and capture other flies, wasps, bees, and even things as large as dragonflies. Their bite contains a toxin which quickly paralyzes their prey. 5D II, 100 mm macro, 1/200, f/16, ISO 100, light box, 2 remotely fired flashes, hand held. All comments are welcome and appreciated.

Patrick Sparkman
06-29-2012, 05:56 PM
Neat one Steve. I don't think that I have seen this species. I like the angle, and lighting. I am a fanatic for close-up portraits and would have preferred it to fill the frame more so that I can see more detail in the head, feet, and probosis.

Jim Bridges
06-29-2012, 06:10 PM
I see a few of these guys every year here in Texas and get a photo once in a while:S3:... they are my favorite robber fly. This is a wonderful closeup, Steve!

Allen Sparks
06-30-2012, 04:38 AM
Wonderful close up Steve. Nice details and I like the angle that shows off the "stinger". very well done!

shane shacaluga
07-03-2012, 02:34 AM
Great looking robber fly. That spike looks nasty!

Jonathan Ashton
07-07-2012, 06:23 AM
Wow I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of this guy! I like the angle the image was taken and the focus is very good indeed. I don't know how big he is but I wonder if you might have had slightly better DOF by not going in quite so closely but cropping the image to retain magnification, this way you would perhaps have had the wing in focus and you would have still had plenty of detail. the more I look at this insect the more it impresses me both from a photographic point and from a physiological viewpoint, he is just built for business isn't he? I think he is very aptly named, a great shot, I would love to see more of these.

Carel v/d Sanden
07-08-2012, 06:16 AM
Steve I've tried, but stay with me that animals are not sitting still. How do you do that?

Steve Maxson
07-09-2012, 09:14 AM
Thanks for your comments everyone!

Jonathan: I hear you - DOF is always an issue with these shots. More and more I have been backing farther away from my subjects to get additional DOF. This image has already been cropped. I have some others with the fly even smaller in the frame and the wings are still not sharp. At this oblique viewing angle, I think the only solution is focus stacking. I have tried some of that with these flies, but I'm not happy with the results as all those dark bristles tend to glob up - I need to work on my technique more, I think.

Carel: For flies, bees, wasps, etc. that would simply fly away if you put them in a light box, I put them in a refrigerator for a few minutes to cool them down. The amount of time needed varies depending on the species and you will need to monitor them frequently - I would start with 10 minutes and see how lively they are at that time. Once they are cooled down you should have some photo ops before they warm up again - this can happen quickly and many times I have ended up chasing these subjects around in my house trying to recapture them. For things like beetles, you can put them in the light box and then cover them with a petri dish. Leave them there for a while and they will often settle down and you can have some photo ops after removing the petri dish.

Carel v/d Sanden
07-09-2012, 09:47 AM
I'll try, though I am not a fan of this practice. but I will definitely try to do. thank you.

Jason Stander
07-10-2012, 11:44 AM
I want that fly... post it to me ASAP... what a beautiful robber fly... great detail and exposure... thank you for sharing your technique... so VWD!