Giant Water Bug & eggs #2

[Steve Maxson]

Another shot of the male Giant Water Bug (Family Belostomatidae, likely Belostoma sp.) with eggs attached to its back. It seemed to prefer swimming with its front legs extended forward - this gives a good view of its stabbing beak. The AF on Canon's current 100 mm macro works very well for shots like this. 2.5 gallon aquarium setup, 1D IV, 100 mm macro, 1/125, f/16, ISO 160, 2 remotely fired 430EX flashes (manual mode, diffused), HH, AF. I used NIK Viveza 2 to selectively reduce the brightness and saturation of the equisetum stem on the left. I also removed some of the floating bits of debris in the water and ran nr on the background. All comments are welcome and appreciated.

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Steve, it almost looks like a diving swimmer! It's too bad that the bug and its former perch are not completely separated. I keep being amazed at the IQ you are able to reach with your setup. I also still think this bug is rather scary, and the added eggs don't help :S3:. I bet you'll have a lot of fun when they hatch!

[Diane Miller]

You are getting stunning shots with this setup, great detail and lighting, and I love the color palette!

[Nancy Bell]

Another amazing image! I really like the stretched out legs and the view of the beak. Also the subdued and well placed lighting. Seeing this belostomatid with eggs on its back just makes me in awe of nature and its processes!

[Mitch Haimov]

Sweet pose, and once again the lighting is perfect! I was sorry to read that he decided to remove the eggs. Eager to see what you come up with next.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Super shot Steve, love the light and the pose, everything just about optimal for me.

[Allen Sparks]

Hi Steve, another awesome image IMO. Those eggs on the back really tell a story of Nature. Great lighting and image quality. Extremely well done! - Allen

[Steve Maxson]

Thank you for your comments, folks!

Today, I'm off on a photo trip to Iceland for 2 weeks - so I'll be away from the Forum until then. I hope to see a lot of great Macro posts when I return! :S3:

[Jason Stander]

Hi Steve... this is inspirational stuff... macro at is best... stunning detail and exposure... really stunning image... VWD!

[Arthur Morris]

As wonderful as this is, I love the lighting the most.