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Cicada



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This specimen shows every hairy detail from mid abdomen up.

This specimen shows every hairy detail from mid abdomen up.
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Views

1050

Likes

Awards

Contest Finalist in The Textures Of Insects Photo Contest
Peer Award
JFLeite Wojtbil PreissAlex Pineapples74 alef0 jfrid Crittero +20
Absolute Masterpiece
gman176 ronjudyluv2travel Steve-n-Ning RLP073 darylparker rixtportugal elainejohnstonschuch +2
Superior Skill
joestanley gardenographer quincyfloyd loutyler paleblue cerbervs
Superb Composition
Jaspa jlappen rajanpatel010 SEE_PODIO_Pablo-Klik AkPatricia
Exceptional Contrast
THOMMAS stageorges
Genius
texaaronpueschel
Top Choice
billbrandon
Magnificent Capture
ClaritaBethCanlasMiller

Emotions

Impressed
Steve-n-Ning Netty

Top Ranks

Macro Monsters Photo ContestTop 10 rank

Categories


2 Comments | Report
aruschandran
 
aruschandran August 10, 2017
Detailed click !!
ronjudyluv2travel Platinum
 
ronjudyluv2travel November 02, 2021
Incredible shot and amazing detail! Congratulations!
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo about twenty miles from my hometown in Utah in Huntington Canyon which is one of several tributaries that flow east from the vast Wasatch Plateau.

Time

I captured this image at about mid afternoon in late June. The sky was bright overcast which was perfect for reducing contrast and perfectly windless. Cicadas often anchor themselves to a plant and will allow close approach. This allowed me the ability to focus on different areas of the body while tripping the shutter and later stacking the image with Zerene software.

Lighting

As mentioned previously, bright overcast days reduce the chance of blown out highlights and murky shadows which can too often ruin the affects of a good macro image. I feel this type of light is similar to electronic flash diffused through a translucent material.

Equipment

For this image, I used a tripod, 150mm macro lens and a Canon t4i camera. The image was taken at about 1:1.

Inspiration

The lack of wind and quality light was instrumental in this image because had it been windy, I couldn't have stacked images to retain overall sharpness throughout the scene, and if sunny, shadows would have interfered with image detail.

Editing

Yes, but very little since the Zerene software automatically adjusts contrast for each image while stacking. I believe I slightly enhanced the orange by increasing the yellow with the hue and saturation tool in Photo Shop.

In my camera bag

Since this photo was taken, I upgraded to a Canon 70D and 80D and still use an older Canon t3i which is mounted with a 150-500mm OS Sigma lens with a 1.4 tele-converter, and zoom extension tubes. I use this complicated rig for shooting butterflies, bees, and bee flies because I can photograph at a distance of up to 10 feet and retain the same detail as that in a macro shot at a foot. I also use an 18-300mm lens on my 80D mostly for landscapes. My 70D is attached to a 150-600mm lens which is one of my favorites. I often use extreme wide angles on the 80D along with a super sharp Canon 80mm and 24mm lens. Quite recently, I purchased a Nikon 5500d and have added a Micro-Nikor 80mm lens, 10-35mm zoom, and 18-250mm lens for this body. I also use Canon flashes and a ring light for some macro and wildlife; however, I favor natural light. Added to this are several tripods and various heads for different photography needs.

Feedback

Always be looking for the small scenes as well as the large since macro images are everywhere. Macro photography is often as frustrating as it is rewarding and patience is an absolute necessity. I often wait for hours for light and wind to be optimal before I ever trip the shutter and once it is, I comb an area looking for macro images sometimes pre-visualizing the image on a previous trip when conditions weren't conducive for a good photo. This was the case with the Cicada. Upon entering the spot, it was quite windy; however, I noticed many cicadas clinging to various vegetation and decided upon stacking images of a cicada with a clean background if and when the wind quit blowing. Meanwhile, I did my daily walk and upon my return, found conditions to be perfect and many specimens to choose from for capturing an intriguing macro image.

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