Over indulge!

[Jason Stander]

Hi all... I trust that you are well?

This an image of a Mythicomiidae fly feeding on pollen.

I have always wanted an image of these flies close up (head detail only hence the wide aperture) feeding on pollen.This image was a challenge and a half... flat on my stomach (low angle).

These flies are extremely tiny (1.5mm or less in size)... and with the very small DOF of the MPE at a magnification of X3... with a winter chilled breeze... handheld... manual focus... this was luck.... and I am happy with it... although I would have liked a total purple bg but hey you cant have it all.

Crits and comments welcome... ENJOY:w3

Canon 60D
Canon MP-E 65mm f2.8
Canon MT-24EX Macro twinlite (diffused)

Aperture: f6.3
Shutter speed: 1/125s
Metering: Spot
Handheld

[Jonathan Ashton]

Beautiful lighting and excellent detail in the head. On the thumbnail the variable blue/purple looks a little distracting but on the posted image I find it less so. Just a minor suggestion I would try to tone down the brightness of the pollen grains a bit. I don't know if you took more images at a smaller aperture but if you did you may find the antennae may be more in focus??

[OvidiuCavasdan]

I like this image. I think you did a good job considering the shallow dof, hand holding, breeze, manual focus...Good sharpness on the eye and head. I like the color combination. Just wished the bg all blue without the dark area on left...but sometimes no matter how hard we try we cant have it all.

[Anita Bower]

Congratulations on getting the photo you wanted. Amazing detail in the areas in focus. I like selective focus images. I think toning down the yellow pollen might bring out more detail. I'm glad I don't have to meet one of these in this size. :-)

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Jason, That is one wicked eye. Agree on the all purple BKGR self critique. I think that you might try toning down the YELLOW of the flower a bit. Let me know if you need help with that and I will give it a go. Over-saturated REDs are easier to deal with.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Jason. These tiny subjects are a real challenge in the field especially at higher magnifications! You have excellent detail within your DOF (very narrow at 3X) and your flash diffusion continues to be top notch - I can't tell that flash was used - which means you did it perfectly! Outstanding work!

[Jason Stander]

Thank you all for the comments and crits!:w3