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Wired For the Kill
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Wired For the Kill

by Howard Cheek

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted July 27, 201499 views4 comments
Young Robber Fly with tiny metallic Long-legged Fly prey..
Note the relative small size of the Robber, using the tiny long-legged fly for scale.
I tried for a slightly better plane of focus, but had a plant to my immediate left blocking me. Perch is the chicken wire that keeps the chickens 'out' of our vegetable garden.

F/14, 1/60th, ISO 640, 1D M3, Sigma 150mm f/2.8 + 1.4x extension. Tripod this time & sunny/clear with natural mid-morning light.

Post Script:The bright sunlight, and dark BG made it a bit more difficult to pull off.. I know I lost part of the dark tail to the BG, but you can let me have it if you like. I was working without fill flash yesterday morning as well..

Comments

4 comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on July 28, 2014 at 9:01 AM
The barbed wire and dark bg work well to complement the killer fly with its victim, Howard. I like the bits of color in the image, especially the vibrant green in the victim. I'll forgive the lack of flash. The dark shadows promote the sinister look the Robber Fly. :toast:
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by gary phillips on July 29, 2014 at 12:11 AM
Howard, that bugger is a really menacing looking critter. Love the chicken wire perch and his catch of the day. I've been working on my mono-pod techniques, but i got a long way to go to ever match this and your other macro work.. You are truly an inspiration. Keep 'em coming. :toast:
Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on July 29, 2014 at 4:24 PM
This is way cool, Howard, especially with the colors in the prey. What a great close up of the "chicken wire" fence. :wink:
Yea, I wish that part of the tail wasn't lost in shadow, but the details in the larger version make up for that minor flaw.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Balan Vinod on July 30, 2014 at 2:45 AM
A shady killer...I guess the elements in this image depicts the character of this killer fly. The barbed wire and the black bg ..all represent the character of the subject ..well captured Howard.

Balan Vinod
Registered on March 20, 2006, 889 Posts, 2312 Comments