Dragonfly nymph & prey

[Jonathan Ashton]

Tripod
Camera Model Canon EOS 50D
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/250
Av( Aperture Value ) 8.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -2/3
ISO Speed 400
Lens EF180mm f/3.5L Macro USM
Image Quality RAW
Flash On
Flash Type External E-TTL
E-TTL II flash metering Evaluative flash metering
Flash Exposure Compensation -1 1/3
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
AF Mode Manual focusing
Color Space Adobe RGB

All C & C welcome.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Jon,
I generally prefer images with more DOF.......but this has a very cool "painterly" look to it! It is a touch tight on the feet......but even that doesn't bother me so much as the focus on the eye and prey looks good. Surprisingly.....I like this very much!

[Jason Stander]

What an interesting image... agree with Roman about a bigger dof... but your image is sharp where needs be... WD Jonathan

[Dave Johnson]

Hi Jonathan, great image! Is that a stickleback he's munching on? I'm interested in how you took this one... Was it shot through glass, the waters surface or underwater? Pretty impressive either way! Well done,

Dave J.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Jon, lots to look at here, and lots to be scared of, if you are prey to a dragonfly nymph. I like the detail on the head and legs, and agree a little more room below wont hurt.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks for the C&C everyone, the shot was taken with the subjects in a small tank, i had to crop tightly to avoid seeing obvious corners in the tank. I will be posting more images of a similar nature but using dark ground lighting, this image was taken with ambient/flash light.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Jonathan. It's not too often we get to see insects eating vertebrates (except in the aquatic world)! Thanks for adding the info on your setup. Very nice sharpness on the eyes of the nymph (although some OOF algae got in front of its left eye). I would agree about the DOF - if the eye of the fish - and the labium of the nymph were sharp, that would take this cool image to a whole another level! For me, all the green spheres of algae add interest to your image. You captured a very cool scene and I hope to see more of your aquatic images!