Waterboatman

[Jonathan Ashton]

Camera Model Canon EOS 50D
Tripod
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.7
Shooting Mode Manual Exposure
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/125
Av( Aperture Value ) 16.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
ISO Speed 400
Lens EF180mm f/3.5L Macro USM
Flash On
Flash Type External E-TTL
E-TTL II flash metering Evaluative flash metering
Flash Exposure Compensation -1/3
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync

My friend and I made several small aquaria from microscope slides; I went with my son to the local pond ans we managed to capture this waterboatman; we took several images and then returned him back to the pond. I placed the camera at right angles to the tank and used direct flash and a black background, this ensured the flash adequately illuminated the subject. Hope you like it - I have more!!

[Julie Kenward]

Jonathan, this is certainly a fun image to look at! I have a few suggestions for you...

First, I'd take a look at cloning out some of the very minor things floating around in the water just to give the image a cleaner look. Take the photo up to 100% resolution and go up and down each area and look for the things that stand out. It's amazing what you can see once you do a closeup of the photograph.

I'd also think about cloning over the brighter area on the right side of the frame - it's definitely breaking the flow of colors.

Lastly, I'd sharpen the head of the bug up a bit more. His legs and body feel nicely sharpened but the eye area is a bit fuzzy.

Forgive me for saying so but this image is "cute as a bug". :D

[Ken Childs]

Very cool, Jon! Great idea on making the tiny aquariums out of microscope slides. Most of my first digital images were of things in aquariums so this is especially interesting.

Overall this looks good and taking Jules' advice will move this up a few notches.

[Steve Maxson]

This type of photography is very intriguing, Jonathon, and I started doing that myself this summer. There seems to be no end to the aquatic inverts one can photograph. Common names can be imprecise at times - on this side of the pond, the insect you photographed is called a backswimmer while a water boatman is a different, but similar, critter. Maybe the names are different in the UK. You captured a nice pose on your subject. There are a number of things you might do to take this image up a few notches. Jules' suggestions about cleaning up the water and darkening the bright spot (which looks like a flash reflection to me) are good ones. If this was mine, I would also go for a vertical crop that deleted the sand (?) from the bottom of the frame and try to tone down the blown out areas of the plant stem. You might also try a light green or light blue background to see which you prefer. This nice thing about photographing these organisms is that you can keep working at it until you get it just right. :) Let's see some more.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hi everyone, glad you liked it. Now the water and contaminants - flotsam/jetsam etc I know exactly what you mean and in fact this water was filtered and the plant was washed prior to placing it into the water. The contamination most likely came from the boatmanI agree it can be a bit distracting but that is nature! I know I have shot myself in the foot because I tried to filter it out but the point I am making is you just don't get these little guys in perfectly clear water. Non filtering of the water is not practical because there is too much flotsam etc. for me the minor contamination provides a realistic setting. I agree entirely with your suggestions on improving PP on light/darks and sharpening a little more - same old story I am like a big kid - just can't wait to post an image - I get a real buzz from macro - especially as it fills the seasonal gap because most birds in the UK are not amenable to photography. I will post another shortly now I have wet your appetite (pun intended!!:2eyes2:) I will have to fix the tanks again first - I used three and all three began to leak after a few minutes - it is very difficult to get the sealant into such a confined space.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Jonathan,
very cool! I know very well about that macro buzz!.....so I can see why you were thrilled with this. I do like Jules suggestions but understand your point on the floaters. You may want to try marine sealants....or stuff they use on fish tanks to make it more permanent.
Agree that the sand?....on the bottom isn't my favorite....but very well thought out and composed....tweaks will take this up a notch.