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Blinded Sphinx Moth

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted July 10, 2017122 views3 comments

Blinded sphinx moths are a medium sized member of the family Sphingidae found throughout North America. They have eyespots on the hind wings that they flash at predators to intimidate a would be attacker. I took a series of photos with a natural green background and this one from the side with a white wall as the BG. I like the graphical presentation and shows the resting posture very well.180 mm f3.5 (1.0 sec at f25, ISO 200) + -1ev fill from LH side. Levels, Shadows & Highlights........................Jim

Comments

3 comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on July 11, 2017 at 9:07 AM

Jim, the details in the moth and it's perch stand out very well against the white background. The color similarity between the two is quite striking. While this very clean and graphical, I wonder about a slightly duller but still uniform background as I think about seeing a view like this in a textbook or field guide. Are any of the green background shots worth posting? I'm curious about the difference.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on July 11, 2017 at 5:37 PM

I was only able to get this pose with a white BG. It was challenging, but with a weak fill flash helped to bring out details on the underside. I have a few other poses with green BG that provides a more colorful POV for this moth. Lep scales will change their color based on light and observer position. I'll post one of these later today. Thank you for your comments................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on July 12, 2017 at 1:49 PM

I definitely like the later one better, but this is interesting in a clinical sense.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments