A penchant for pollen

[Vida van der Walt]

One of my older shot reworked. A tiny 4mm species of fruit fly feeding on the pollen of an Osteospermum flower.
I shot this at our Botanical Gardens which is close to my home. Whenever I visit the Gardens I always head straight for a bed of these flowers as these little fruit flies are almost always there. Because of their size they are difficult to spot on the flowers. These flowers are low growing and I am able to sit down and rest my elbows on my legs when shooting.
This is the closest I can take you as it was shot at maximum 5x magnification and cropped.
There are a few things that bother me about the shot but I also like it because the fly is covered in pollen. I would have preferred a less square crop (I had no more space on top and the oof petal at the bottom had to be cropped as it was distracting. The turned legs on the left and dark inner of the flower on the right complicated matters further). One of the antennae of the fly is missing and I also don't like it that the feet are hidden behind the petal.
I lightened the shadow between the petals, cropped, sharpened, levels, nr and removed a few blemishes from the petal.:)

Canon 5D Mark11; MP E 65mm; MT 24EX
apert f16; ss1/125; iso 200

[Dave Mills]

Hi Vida...A fruit fly! I think they are smaller than a gnat! Wonderful detail on the head and back. Great shot! Only nit is the 2 areas of pollen(?)on the back left leg are a bit distracting.Very well handled!!!

[Allen Sparks]

Another awesome image Vida. I did not know one could hand hold this lens at 5x and get results this nice. Love the colors and detail...that pollen on the tongue is a "kicker". You have already critiqued this image nittier than I would have -- I think it rocks even though seeing all of the front legs would be nice.

[Ken Childs]

Allen already said everything I would have said but I can't help but say again just how impressed I am that you're able to get HH images this sharp at 5X!

[Julie Kenward]

WHAT ALLEN SAID. :D;):D

Yes, we are our own worst critics at times; yet, despite all these flaws I find this image to be intoxicating. The details, the sharpness and the orange blobs of pollen all make for a stunning image, Vida. Thanks for the detailed explanation - it really helps us visualize what you do and how you do it - although I doubt any of us could do it as well as you.

[Don Lacy]

Hi Vida, The colors are amazing in this image from the purple of the flower to the rainbow of colors in the eyes.

[Nick Palmieri]

Ditto! The detail is outstanding.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Colours in the eye are just cool, and such detail. A whole other world out there.

[Harshad Barve]

+1 for what said above by Allen , I must say your Macro work is inspirational one
TFS

[Vida van der Walt]

Hi Dave, Allen, Ken, Jules, Don, Nick, Jackie and Harshad. Thank you for the great feedback.:) One of the things I like so much about my lens is how it opens up a whole new miniature world to me. There are so many tiny insects that appear insignificant to the naked eye but that are quite beautiful when viewed under magnification.

[Ed Vatza]

Ok, some facts.

1) Handholding at 5x is impossible. You did it... the impossible! :)

2) Crisp focus on pollen on the tongue of a fruit fly. Are you kidding me? :eek:

3) Ooohh! Those eyes! Wonderful!!

Way to go Vida!

[Julie Brown]

Vida, I always enjoy seeing your photos-what a treat! All of the techs have been covered by the other comments. You do such great work-have you done a book yet?:)

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Vida, Ive told you before, the vibrant colours that you capture are simply outstanding. Incredible detail on the head and eyes. Very well captured.

[Charissa]

Love the metallic colors on the eyes. Mini rainbows. As always, the detail is superb.

[Vida van der Walt]

Hi Ed, Julie, Stu and Charissa. Thank you all for the great feedback. Julie, I would love to do a book someday.:)

[Adrian David]

Outstanding, Vida!!!
Every time I see your work with this lens, I envy you! Unfortunately, there is no similar lens from Nikon...so, I can't even try to do something like this...:(

[Vida van der Walt]

Thank you Adrian. I'm glad you like it!:)