Draw!
Seems like this bug (firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus) doesn't taste well...otherwise such an encounter wouldn't last long enough for me to make this photo! ;)...
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Seems like this bug (firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus) doesn't taste well...otherwise such an encounter wouldn't last long enough for me to make this photo! ;)
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Jul, 2015Views
277
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Awards
People's Choice in Unlikely Couples In Nature Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Peer Award
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This interesting scene was happening on the most approachable place; home, on the house wall! In summer months it is the usual roaming place for both bugs and lizards, since these do not care much about unimportant things like verticality and gravity.Time
Afternoon, 15:50 hrs, still plenty of light in July, although this wall faces North and is thus in the shade.Lighting
Nothing beside available daylight, but sufficient for (ISO 360) f5.6 @ 1/250 sec.Equipment
Photo was shot out of hand with no support, since the exposure the camera has picked was fast enough, even with the focal distance in telephoto range. The large part of easy combination of photo elements came from the fact that the largest percentage of the surface is white. And yes, it was shot in Programmable Auto mode. :)Inspiration
An illogical situation has to peak one's interest. Illogical here was this weird standoff. Bugs usually don't last long in the vicinity of lizards, and I was wondering why this bug was not immediately turned into quick snack. Still can't rightly say why, but I presume the lizard somehow does not like the taste of firebugs. It surely is not the question of the bug size, because I have seen lizards take on a lot bigger insects, like praying mantises or large grasshoppers... So it must've been the wrong deodorant.Editing
No special interventions to the image, bar some slight cropping and tonal balance. Usual routine.In my camera bag
I prefer a photo vest and its million pockets to any camera bag. Outside of that, I'll aways have along the"main" camera, the "spare" one which has to be watertight, and then some CPL and ND filters*, spare batteries, a camera clamp (replacing the tripod), a lighter or matches, a length of string, and a pocket knife. These simple things usually will be more than enough for 99% of photos I am expecting to do. "Travel light - go far" is the motto. Except in situations when I do plan some shoot which implies its use, I may take along the tripod. Usually the camera clamp (simple ballhead with arrangement for fixing it to various objects like fences, tree branches or stumps, things that can be found in one's surroundings, will suffice. The whole clamp is lightweight and small. As opposed to tripods which can be cumbersome, this gadget fits any pocket. * If my camera has time-lapse mode, I will likely use it instead of darkening (ND) filters, because long exposures heat up the camera sensor and create more noise. The stacked multiple short exposures essentially do the same job without the filter, with additional advantage of variable final effects depending of how many and which of the exposures are stacked.Feedback
Similar things are happening everywhere and all it takes, like with all photos really, is to look around. If you're out to shoot landscapes, watch for macro scenes too! Equally, whatever kind of images you intend to capture, be open for other kinds, scales, and themes, and at all times! More often than not, the scene that surprises you outside of your intended photo scope might quickly become the windfall of the day. Naturally, you will like to always be able to react with proper gear at hand... so pick your equipment with this in mind. Strict specialization was ill-fated for the dinosaurs too... so be versatile! :)
