Green Shield Bug Feeding
Covid lockdown meant back garden safari.
This bug was feeding amongst the shrubs in my urban courtyard garden. Located near to a port I'm am...
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Covid lockdown meant back garden safari.
This bug was feeding amongst the shrubs in my urban courtyard garden. Located near to a port I'm amazed at just how much wildlife there is in such an area.
Read less
This bug was feeding amongst the shrubs in my urban courtyard garden. Located near to a port I'm amazed at just how much wildlife there is in such an area.
Read less
Jul, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my back yard in King's Lynn, Norfolk. I live just a short distance form a busy town centre and next to a port and have a small courtyard garden.Time
I love having lunch outside, listening to and watching the insects buzzing around the plants, all currently in pots around the small courtyard. It just happened that I saw a bee nearby and noticed this little bug nearby. It was around 1300hrs, I had just finished home schooling my little girl and As I was part of group of people advised by the UK government to shield during the Covid crisis so I thought I'd take the time to get some experience of macro photography.Lighting
The light is purely natural light, thankfully with shade from the midday sun provided by the leaves of nearby plants.Equipment
This was shot on a Canon EOS 90D with Sigma 105mm f2.8, handheld with no additional lighting or equipment.Inspiration
Covid lockdown made my world shrink to just my home. Where I would normally go out and look for birds to photograph this was no longer an option. I've always been fascinated by insects, by the variety of shapes and colours but they're often overlooked, certainly when taking photos of birds. In fact insects can be a source of frustration when trying to photograph anything else! Shieldbugs are beauties, there is something special about their shape, the way they move so slowly. When you look at them close up they also have amazing facial features, especially when like this one they are feeding.Editing
Fairly minimal post-processing using Serif Affinity. There is a small issue with older Sigma lenses on the 90D and it under-exposes by about 2/3 of a stop so just a little bit of adjustment was made to counter this.In my camera bag
Most of my kit is older equipment, with the exception of the Canon EOS 90D which my wife bought me for my birthday to replace an ageing EOS 650D. The 90D is a remarkable camera, fast focusing, lots of focus points, high shooting rate, just a great all rounder. Most of the time, for general use I use the kit 18-135 STM as it is a really flexible lens, great for shooting video as it is pretty much silent when focussing. There is also the Sigma 105mm macro and Sigma 10-20mm zoom. I also have a Canon Speedlite 470 ex-ai which came with the 90D and fulfils my inner geek with it's automation.Feedback
I think that we all overlook the wildlife in our immediate environment. I know that people have rediscovered a link with nature during the Covid crisis and have benefitted greatly from this, but there is so much to see at home. So many other amazing creatures that live pretty much unnoticed most of the time. It's worth just poking around the shrubs in the garden or looking through the leaf litter to see the sheer diversity of life around us. It's like being a kid again, get down on the ground or stick your face inside the shrubs, totally immerse yourself in that world again.
