Move over Jason !!

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It is saying DO NOT TOUCH ME !! Cerambycidae, Longicornes Beetle. Inside a home-made Lightbox, using reflected light from a macro flash, on a tripod, with raised mirror, and remote release. Canon 50D, Canon MP-65, ISO 200, f/11 @ 1/160sec. At 3X magnification. BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL IF YOU HANDLE THEM......THEY DO BITE......

[Mike Moats]

Hey Alfredo, I say "Friday the 13th" last week and this guy here is way scarier than Jason. Wild and Crazy, Well done.

[Julie Kenward]

Excellent image, Alfredo! Here is what I don't understand, though...maybe you know? How come the black eye area above the antenna are in focus but the antennae themselves are not? The face in front of them is in focus (eerily so!) and the stuff behind the antennae is in focus...so why not the antennae? I'm really quite curious!

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Thanks for the comments. The MP-65 has a very limited depth of field as you increase the magnification (this is about 3X) and the antenna and its base are closer to the lens than the front part of his "face". I was focusing on his eyes and the the depth of field extends toward the beetle's back more than frontward. At least that is what I understand.....but I am not a technical expert in DOF.

I took other photos and when the antenna were in focus the eyes lost sharpness and looked dull. I also was at a slight downward angle, so I was not in the same focal plane as the "face". Because of that in some photos the eyes were in focus but the out of focus area extended downward. So I tried, as best as I could, to stay parallel with the "face" to get maximum DOF and this one was my best shot. Take into account that I am dealing with a guy that is alive and free and that can fly off at any time and move all over if I touch or disturb him, and maybe fly into my face.....with those pincers open (he is about 1 1/2 inch long). So I try to be very careful and that sometimes affects the final overall focus of the photo.

[Thomas Herou]

Terrific close-up!Love the eyes.