Dragonfly nymph

[Steve Maxson]

This is a nymph of one of the Darner dragonflies (Family Aeshnidae). It is perched on, and blending in with, a dead bulrush stem. 2.5 gal aquarium setup, 1D IV, 100 mm macro, 1/125, f/16, ISO 160, 2 remotely fired 430EX flashes (manual mode, diffused), tripod, live-view manual focus. I removed some of the floating bits of debris in the water, toned down the green stems in the background, and ran nr on the background. All comments are welcome and appreciated.

[Jason Stander]

Out of this world good... excellent detail and exp... would have maybe wished for a diagonal comp... but the rest is sublime... WD Steve!

[Norm Dulak]

Very interesting setup. Good result. Well done!

[Jonathan Ashton]

Superb Steve, I think you have the balance just right, the amount of debris and yet clarity in the water ticks all the boxes for me. the stem is ideal and the plants excellent. I think the lighting is very clear and I think it is very good indeed.
This sounds picky it is not intentional - just an observation. The light does appear to me perhaps a little brighter than might be expected in surroundings like this, I wonder if it would be a good idea to apply a little less power to the guns. The larva may be a lot more light reflective than I would ever know but even so I would consider lowering the lighting a little - despite the fact it is so "good" and clear.

[Mitch Haimov]

Another fantastic image, Steve! The nymph looks just-minted perfect and those eyes are amazing. Composition works well, as does the presence of water plants.

If memory serves (and that is always dicey with me), once upon a time you used the MT-24EX with your aquarium setup. Assuming my recollection is correct, why the change? Thanks.

[Nancy Bell]

Totally awesome! The lighting makes the nymph & stem glow, as well as catching some of the floating green stems. The curvy and feathery bkgd is a very nice contrast to the strong vertical lines of the stem and nymph.

[Steve Maxson]

Thanks everyone for your comments!

Jon: I'm always experimenting with the lighting on these shots. Your point is a good one and I'll have to try some lower flash settings.

Mitch: Your memory served you well. I did indeed use the Macro twin flash for earlier images and it worked quite well. This year when I set up my tanks I decided to try the 430EX flashes instead to see how they worked in this situation. Turns out, I now prefer them - no cords to worry about - no big flash unit on top of the camera - no need to rig up something to hold the two flash heads in place - complete freedom of movement for the camera. I have diffusion material taped over both the left and right ends of the tank and will often fire one flash from either side - in which case the flashes are mounted on their little stands and placed on either side of the tank. In addition to changing the output of each flash (using manual mode) to suite the situation, I can quickly move a flash closer or farther from the tank to vary the lighting (such as when a subject is closer to one end of the tank than the other). I can also take one of the flash units and attach a Lastolite diffuser and hand hold this flash to get some front lighting or top lighting. In short, I do a lot of experimenting whenever I have a cooperative subject and using the two 430EX flashes makes this easier. :S3:

[Mitch Haimov]

Okay, based on your description, I can certainly see how the 430EXs would be much more convenient in the studio-esque environment of your aquarium setup. Thanks for the 411.

[Anita Bower]

This forum is helping me see the beauty in insects, etc. Thank you all. This is a lovely image of something I would never have seen otherwise. I like the sharpness, composition, light. Very nice.