People say I'm the life of the party

[Michael Lloyd]

People say I'm the life of the party
Because I tell a joke or two
Although I might be laughing loud and hearty
Deep inside I'm blue
So take a good look at my face
You'll see my smile looks out of place
If you look closer, it's easy to trace
The tracks of my tears..
I need you, need you

I finally got a face shot of a mosquito larva :D If I was going to complain, and I'm not going to, I would complain about the film on the surface of the water. Since I'm shooting into a bucket full of rain water I don't have a lot of options.

1DMKIV manual
MPE-65mm hand held
MR14-EX ring flash Manual 1:1

ISO 100

1/100s@ f16

[Cheryl Flory]

well, I can honestly say that I've never seen that face before.

How long would it live in clear water? Long enough to get an image? I think it is a remarkable capture. I keep thinking I would like to see it at 90 degree CW turn.

[Michael Lloyd]

well, I can honestly say that I've never seen that face before.

How long would it live in clear water? Long enough to get an image? I think it is a remarkable capture. I keep thinking I would like to see it at 90 degree CW turn.

I don't know. I have well water so chlorine and other nasties aren't a problem. It's spring "down here" so the water has pollen on the surface. I was trying to avoid setting the shot up though. Yesterday I had good water to work with. Today it's got a sheen on the surface.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Michael,
one word.....Bounty.....should clean up the surface w/o disturbing anything....although if it is absorbent as advertised.....might get the little guy:eek:. Can't hurt if you are careful! All in all this is pretty cool!

[Michael Lloyd]

Hey Roman,

I just tried your Bounty trick and I tried shallow water. Whatever is on the surface is oily, not pollen, so I couldn't get the sheen to come to the paper towel. I even tried a surfactant (soap) to break the surface tension. Nyet...

Shallow water made the wriggler nervous and it wouldn't stop wriggling around. On top of that the light doesn't "fall off" like it does in an 18" high bucket full of water.

The head shot was made with a combination of luck and planning. I had to catch in just the right position during one of it's "wriggles". The luck came into play when I chose the right larva to wriggle the right direction. Most of the time the wriggle to the surface, put their rear into the air, take a deep breath :cool: and just as quickly as they arrived they wriggle off to the depths. That's why 99% of my images of them are head down shots. The real bummer of the day was missing the in focus point of one feeding.

[Vida van der Walt]

Love the song and what looks like a cheesy smile on that little face. Michael, I don't know if it will help but I've photographed a larvae by catching it and placing it in a small glass tube (I got it for free at my local pharmacy) with clear water. It did wriggle a lot though.:) You could even place a light coloured sheet of paper behind the glass if you want the water to have a little colour.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Michael, this is wild looking, nice details and must be a tough shot.

[Anita Bower]

looks like an alien. i'm impressed that you got the shot. :)