A Killer

[Roman Kurywczak]

Finally got to work on one of my Cicada Killers from my trip out with fellow bpn'er Nick Palmieri. We were pretty much elbow to elbow laying down in this public park! Thanks for the story of the behavior on Nick's post Steve! What started out as a morning of nothing/very little......turned out to be quite a productive morning when we found a very large group of them. All sorts of behaviour from eating to mating.......and what looked like territorial disputes as they landed on perches.....including this cicada body. I removed some grasses protruding into the frame as it was laying in a very small patch of dirt.
Canon 1D Mark lll and the Sigma 180mm macro at f22 for 1/125 sec. and ISO 800 with the MT-24 Twin lights at minus 1/3 HH. Highlights cleaned up in PP'ing. Saved at 65 quality.

[Dave Mills]

Hi Roman, killer shot that is sharp front to back with a good angle on the 2 subjects along with even lighting. Great story showing a predator with it's prey. Good observation finding this...

[Nick Palmieri]

Great detail in both of them. Amazing how close they let us get them.

[Jay Gould]

:Whoa!: You kill 'em we grill 'em. Great capture; did you see the kill or just this result?

[Roman Kurywczak]

:Whoa!: You kill 'em we grill 'em. Great capture; did you see the kill or just this result?
I saw the killer flying.......or should I say falling with it's victim......not the actual sting. It did fly up out of the grass where it landed. Miraculously:w3.....the cicada wound up in a bare patch of dirt.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Roman. Dare I say it? - this is a Killer image!! :bg3: This gal is really giving you a (to human eyes, at least) defiant pose - as if to say - "Don't come any closer!" This turned into a great photo-op for both you and Nick and you each made the most of it. Excellent sharpness and DOF. The image is well lit by the flash and you did a good job cleaning up highlights in pp. Very well done. :cheers:

[John Storjohann]

Roman, I like this one every bit as much as I liked the image Nick posted earlier. You did a great job cleaning up the specular highlights...particularly from the gossamer wings, an area I always find to be magnet for them. I also like how you brightened the wasp up a bit...or maybe that was the lighting effect from the flash...either way, it gives it some depth and definition from the cicada. How large is that wasp??

[Julie Kenward]

Another winner! That look on his face...didn't he used to be in the cast of "The Sopranos"??? :w3

I especially like that torn back wing - it really shows how focused he must be to bring down a kill this large. Amazing!

[christopher galeski]

magic image Roman,very good detail,good pose,well done.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Roman, I like this one every bit as much as I liked the image Nick posted earlier. You did a great job cleaning up the specular highlights...particularly from the gossamer wings, an area I always find to be magnet for them. I also like how you brightened the wasp up a bit...or maybe that was the lighting effect from the flash...either way, it gives it some depth and definition from the cicada. How large is that wasp??


Thanks all!

Hey John,
These bad boys.....and girls (Steve pointed out that the female stings the Cicada.....parylyzing it to feed the young!) are about 3 times the size of "normal" wasps......which makes them huge. While we were sitting there taking the photos.....they were flying over my legs.....I had shorts on......and I could feel the wind from thier wing flaps as they flew over! One favorite perch......was my boot!

[Susan Candelario]

Can't add much than already said above. KILLER shot.... sorry I could not help myself. :bg3:

[Craig Markham]

Love the image, Roman! The Red-orange eyes and legs of the fly against the cicada's complementary light green wing veins is a nice combo. The stance of the fly on its prey is dramatic. Your f/22 DOAF captured excellent detail front to back, with focal plane through the fly's eyes.

Craig
http://www.cpmarkham.zenfolio.com