Hands off!

[Vida van der Walt]

To me, that look almost seems to be saying "hands off, it is my worm bundle and I'm not sharing!".:) I took this shot a couple of months ago at the Botanical Gardens. The wasp came flying past and settled on a leaf a little distance away. I noticed the prey when I got closer and I had time for 2 shots before it took off again, still munching on what I suspect is a caterpillar or rather the remains of one.:) Hand held.
Canon 5D Mark11; MP E 65mm; MT 24EX
apert f16; ss1/200; iso 100
Crp, shrp, nr, lightened a couple of shadows to even out bg; lvls.

[Allen Sparks]

great catch of him munching on his yummy snack. great detail and I like the angle and pose. I like the leaf edge and background too. great shot!

[Kurtis Diffenbaugh]

That's a nice and sharp hand-held shot. The exposure, dof, placement in the frame, and etc all seem excellent to me. The only thing I might like a little more is a shot from a little lower angle.

[Charles Wesley]

Vida,

Really love the colors, detail and composition on this one. Thanks for sharing...
_____________________
Charlie Wesley
St Augustine Beach, FL

[Randy Stout]

Vida;

Very nice, as mentioned above. Interesting action, composition and techs. Well captured.

Randy

[Julie Kenward]

Another winner, Vida. I do agree that a different angle might be stronger comp-wise but this one is diagonally placed and certainly works. Lovely detail and colors. You sure can hone in on those eyes!

[Vida van der Walt]

Hi Allen, Kurtis, Charlie, Randy and Jules. Thank you all for looking and commenting. Much appreciated.:)

[Ken Childs]

Another nice bug shot! A lower angle might have resulted in a better comp but these things usually don't stick around for long so you get what you can quickly get.

I always have problems with massive amounts of flash highlights when I shoot wasps because they are so reflective. Did you have to do much cloning to remove the highlights or isn't that as much of a problem with the macro flash?

[Charissa]

Excellent sharpness and detail, as usual Vida. I would also have love to see it from a lower angle, but as u said, and we all know, they don,t wait around for us to get into a studio position. Food is a definite bonus, and glad i saw it after dinner, and not before. :-)))

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Vida, the IQ in this is outstanding. Excellent DOF, sharp, and just love the way the wasp is holding onto his meal. How are those eyes.

[Vida van der Walt]

Hi Ken, Charissa and Stu. Your comments are highly appreciated.:) Ken, I didn't find this wasp a big problem as the thorax is not as shiny and is finely textured. The eyes and wings were really the only shiny bits and I didn't have a lot of flash highlights to deal with. Some of the other insects are a big problem esp the beetles and tiny ants.