Caterpillar

[Jonathan Ashton]

Canon 50D Canon 180mm macro tripod & Mongoose head, ISO 320-0.33 1/320 sec f11
I am sorry to say I have not ID'd the caterpillar yet but my guess it is a moth of some description. I found it feeding on the seed head of a sedge, I snapped the sedge and mounted it in a clip which was mounted on a very small lightweight tripod, this enabled me to have some flexibility in positioning the subject. After photographing I replaced the sedge with the caterpillar none the worse for wear.
All C & C welcome.

[jack williamson]

Good shot Jonathan, you have done a great job with the bg. The caterpillar, stem and seed pods are very

sharp. Exposure looks good, I am enjoying this one.

Jack

[Jay Sheinfield]

Great shot. Took me a minute to see the cat. as the color blended so well. Lovely comp, sharp, wouldn't change a thing! Excellent!

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Jonathan. Looks like you had a very cooperative subject. :S3: I like your description of how you set up the photo in the field. The caterpillar is giving you a nice pose, you have good overall sharpness, and I like the diagonal comp and clean background. I think the image would be even stronger if the brightest areas of the plant were toned down a little. In the field, use of a diffusion screen would likely accomplish this - if you run out of hands, you could use something like a "plamp" to hold it in place. Just something for you to consider next time you're in the field. Overall, this is very well done.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks for the C&C everyone, I appreciate your taking time.
Steve - yes the number of times I have intended to buy some white curtain net material or a diffuser - it doesn't bare thinking about. I did paint over some of the highlights with green to tone them down a bit.

[Jerry van Dijk]

wonderful composition and BG Jonathan! I agree that the highlights on the stem compete a bit with the caterpillar. Can't help you with the species ID, though. There are many microlepidoptera and moths that feed on sedges and rushes (I believe this is a rush, not a sedge).

[Paul Lagasi]

Very nice capture, the sharpness and composition make this a winner...well done

[Saravana Gurusamy]

Beautiful capture. Diagonal composition is working out real nice. Those soft cute legs holding onto the stem is just sweet. Too good!

Thanks Steve for the field inputs!

[OvidiuCavasdan]

Well composed, sharp and a very nice BG. I like the pose a lot. Very well done.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Jonathan,
I like this very much! Great advice also given above and don't forget you can use the self timer as an extra hand! Great job overall!

[Carel v/d Sanden]

Well composed, sharp and a very nice BG.