The Wasp
Sep, 2014Views
2543
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Orange Is The Color Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Textures Of Insects Photo Contest
Featured
People's Choice in Flies and Bees Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Flies and Bees Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
All Star
Genius
Virtuoso
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RobClaysPhotos
October 26, 2014
Why thank you…..captured in the most un-exotic of places (my garden in Manchester, England!)
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LucyLoo
February 23, 2015
Ho stunningly Fabulous this is. Amazing details, colours and msot beautiful comp. Love the lighting too. Bravo and congratulations: so very well deserved :-D
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo among the weeds and flowers in my back garden in Manchester England (not exactly known as the world's most exotic location!)Time
It was around 2pm in the afternoon, just after my little 1-year-old girl had awoken from her midday nap, and we were messing around in the gardenLighting
As is quite typical in Manchester, it was cloudy outside. But as it was only midday, the lighting was still quite bright and I required a shutter speed of 1/400 to achieve the correct exposure (f.4, iso 125)Equipment
I was using my Canon 5D Mk iii (which had only arrived at my door a couple of weeks earlier….I was still very much in the 'honeymoon' phase with it!), along with my Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro (one of my favourite lenses, for both macro images and portraits)Inspiration
I am always on the look-out for reasons to get my macro lens out, and it had occurred to me weeks before this shot that the orange flowers that were sprouting at the time would make a great, colourful backdrop, should the right insect take an interest. As it happened, I was in the garden playing with my little girl when I noticed this little wasp buzzing around said flowers, and so I ran as fast as my cumbersome legs would carry me back into the house, grabbed my camera and lens, legged it back out, and managed to fire off around 10 shots before the wasp flew off, never to be seen again.Editing
I did my standard edit in Lightroom that I do with all my images, which involves adjusting the contrast, clarity, vibrancy, levels, crop, etc.. But I never manipulate my images, nor add colour where there wasn't any, or in any way change the fundamental make-up of my images, and didn't do so with this image either.In my camera bag
By trade, I am an events photographer, so my bag usually weighs the weight of a small elephant that my long-suffering back has to support. It includes: - Canon 5D Mk iii, Mk ii, and a Canon 50D - Canon lenses 70-200mm f2.8, 16-35mm f2.8, 100mm f2.8 Macro, 15mm Fisheye (at one point one of my favourite lenses, now barely touched), and a 50mm f1.8 (which, in all honesty, never gets used at all) - Speedlites 580EX ii and 430EX ii - Yongnuo YN-622C flash triggers (x3) - Neewer CN-126 video light (a new, donated addition)Feedback
The first piece of advice I'd offer is to have the right tools for the job at hand. Without such a quality macro lens as the Canon 100mm f2.8, I simply wouldn't have got this shot. Next, I'd say you should remain vigilant at all times, as you never know when an opportunity may present itself. And when it does, be prepared to act fast…by the time I had retrieved my camera, I had about 30 seconds to get this shot before the wasp flew away. Fortunately, that was just enough time in this instance...
