Iris Bug VIII
Getting to the tail end of the part of my iris series which focusses on the bugs that use the irises. I like the wasp’s wings in motion in this shot. A bit of a lucky shot even though I was trying to get pictures of them flying. Tracking and focussing at these magnifications is not all that straightforward.
I think I set the lens on manual focus, fixed the focus and then hoped for the best.
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Canon EOS 5D MkII, Canon EF 100mm/f2.8 macro lens; ISO100, f-2.8, 1/160th, hand-held. Processed with Lightroom 4 and Topaz Clarity.
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burnt embers 
This is great. I’m not sure whether the shadow above the wing is a wing-shadow or something else entirely, but it extends the wing motion beautifully.
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Thanks skadhu – I think that is a shadow from another iris leaf. The wasp is flying under the leaf, and the light is coming from beyond so I think its shadow is well out of the picture. But you are right, it does extend the motion, now that you mention it!
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How did you get the yellow lines on the back of the bee to line up so perfectly with the iris leaves? I have to learn your technique!
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Pure, unadulterated … skill. Note that the middle left leg also echoes the curve of the background leaf.
The bit I can’t seem to control is the spider webs. Every time I take a shot in foliage, there is a spider web. I suspect that spiders are plotting an overthrow of humans.
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I’m sure its not easy at all to get it with the wings moving like that but this is brilliant!
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Thanks Val! I l like that the streaks of light from the wing show a bit of the circular pattern of the wing beats.
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