Captain Of The Ship
Little fire ant setting sail on his voyage around the garden.
Little fire ant setting sail on his voyage around the garden.
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Sep, 2013Views
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Superb Composition
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in my garden, I'm always in the garden looking for new and exciting macro subjects. I had noticed this Ant had become stranded on a fallen petal in the bird bath, I never imaged how this photo would turn out.Time
I took this around mid-day, it was warm, the garden was alive with wildlife big and small.Lighting
I used 2 external flash guns for this, one mounted on my camera and the other on a light stand to my left, I suffered with flash fall off on the 1st few attempts so I grabbed a green chopping board from the kitchen and with my other hand I held it behind the subject, using the flash to my left to illuminate it, thus creating a wonderful green bokeh.Equipment
I used a Sony a33 slt, sigma 105mm lens, and two yongnuo flash guns. I always shoot hand held and always manual focus. Settings were F9 1/125 ISO200.Inspiration
I'm always looking for different ways to showcase the drama and action that unfolds in the hidden macro world, when this opportunity presented itself for me I knew I would capture something special.Editing
I always shoot in RAW, I played with the green hue to give a more naturalistic feel to the image, I also sharpened up the Ant to make him pop, the reflection is completely natural.In my camera bag
I normally carry my two Sony bodies, Sony a33 and a58, with a sigma 105, and a sigma 50-500. I only ever take one flash gun out with me when looking for wildlife past my garden. This way I feel I have all focal lengths covered.Feedback
If I was to give anyone advice in macro photography it would be this, perseverance is key. You may think that there is nothing going on, nothing exciting about that fly on a particular leaf, but out of nowhere a spider could pop up and snatch the fly. To capture moments like I have you need to be out everyday, constantly checking and double checking what is happening in the world beneath your feet.
