Short necked oil beetle ( Meloe brevicollis)

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hand held, unfortunately these charismatic beetles are becoming less and less common in UK, I captured this image in Dorset (SW England). I really like his carapace he looks a bit like a home made toy with miniature rivets holding joints together!

Image input equipment model :Olympus E-M1X
Lens Model : M.40-150mm F2.8 + MC-14
Lens focal length : 210 mm
Focal length in 35 mm film : 421.0mm
Exposure mode : Manual exposure
Photographic Sensitivity : 1250
Exposure bias : 0 EV
Exposure time : 1/125 sec
F number : F11
Flash : OFF

[Ravi Hirekatur]

A very sharp subject with great details given the black color. The branches of the plant frame the subject nicely. It is a difficult composition given the beetle's position, but done well.