Beautiful Stinger
Paper Wasp working on the nest! This picture is upside-down . . . it just seemed that this picture worked better this way!!...
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Paper Wasp working on the nest! This picture is upside-down . . . it just seemed that this picture worked better this way!!
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Aperture f/5.6 ISO 1600 Shutter 1/320 Focal Length 5000/10 
May, 2018Views
832
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in Monthly Pro Photo Contest Vol 41
Peer Award
Magnificent Capture
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Superior Skill
Genius
All Star
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 2Top 20 rank week 1
Interfaceflashlight-eVa
June 19, 2018
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique.
Interfaceflashlight-eVa
June 19, 2018
Großes Kino.👍 Bei mir klappt es noch nicht so gut(Anfängerin)aber du inspirierst mich immer fleißig zu üben.Danke für's teilen
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This gorgeous wasp was captured hanging on the back of a park sign on a hot South Carolina day in May 2018. I was actually looking for the Painted Buntings that frequent the Donnelley Wildlife Management Area. When I first brought the photo into Lightroom for processing, I knew it was special . . . but when I inverted it so the wasp was now on top of the nest . . . it just magically changed the whole feeling of the shot!Time
The photo was taken at around noon on a very humid, sweaty, dank day.Lighting
I was hoping to capture the beauty of an insect that I truly do not like, and one that I unfortunately had a bad run in with a few years ago. There was just a sliver of light on the edge of the nest and the wasp. It was working in a circle, preening and building the nest so I waited for it to swing around and face into the light . . . then took the shot!Equipment
I was using a Nikon D750 (one of the two D750's I carry because I just love this camera!) with the AFS Nikkor 200 x 500mm lens. The combination is a perfect match for me!Inspiration
Sometimes you just have to shot what is there! The subject and the light simply caught my eye. I had the time to watch the scene unfold and see how the light would play out . . . and patience paid off. I love this photo even though the subject still creeps me out a bit!Editing
I run my photos all through Lightroom CC. I find the dehaze slider to be amazing and use it as my first step. Obviously I cropped and inverted the picture to isolate the wasp and nest. Upped the shadows a little and increased the saturation to make the wasp and nest pop out. That is about it.In my camera bag
I usually carry two Nikon D750's, one in the bag and one on a shoulder strap. This camera just seems to work best for me. I have dragged them through swamps and forest, up trees and across sand dunes . . . and I have never been let down. Besides the extra batteries, memory cards, and lens cleaners, etc. that we probably all carry, I also pack the Sigma 14mm wide angle lens for both close in and landscape shots if I find them, a Nikon 2x teleconverter (just in case I need extra reach) and the Tamron 150 x 600mm telephoto lens. I also carry a rain hood for one of the cameras and a thin, lightweight rain coat for myself. The bag is a little heavy to some, but I have become accustomed to it over the years!Feedback
What can I say except "Get out there!!" I see so many nature photographers that drive through a park or wildlife area with a camera hanging out the window, waiting for Mother Nature to walk, fly or slither into range. I am sorry but I just don't see it! Walk . . .walk slowly, camera ready and enjoy the world around you. See and feel the light and work with it. Look high, look low and never forget the small things . . . like wasps . . . they are truly beautiful!
