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Stranger in the Night: Cockchafer

e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
edited November 15, 2014 in Holy Macro
One evening in June I was working on my PC. It was getting dark outside and I had not turned on the room light. I felt a breeze on my cheek as something moved past me and settled on the curtain. It was this Cockchafer. I took it to our conservatory, hoping it would not fly. In semi darkness, I placed it on a tomato leaf.

I grabbed my E-M1 camera, Kiron 105mm (set to f11) macro and twin flash. I kept the light quite dim, such that only this shot had fully acceptable focus. I left one claw out of the frame but not bad for an unplanned shot. :thumb

Harold


981343.jpg

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    StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins
    edited November 13, 2014
    Very nice. I think, flash needs to have its power lowered a tad. Cheers!
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    e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
    edited November 13, 2014
    Stumblebum wrote: »
    Very nice. I think, flash needs to have its power lowered a tad. Cheers!

    Thanks. The flash was metered TTL. The level of brightness as what I chose PP, something I found a little difficult to decide with this subject.

    After several attempts to master the settings, this was my first e-mail notification! clap.gif(Replying via the link logged me out).

    Harold
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    e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
    edited November 13, 2014
    e6filmuser wrote: »
    Thanks. The flash was metered TTL. The level of brightness as what I chose PP, something I found a little difficult to decide with this subject.

    After several attempts to master the settings, this was my first e-mail notification! clap.gif(Replying via the link logged me out).

    Harold

    I just remembered, this image, of the same individual, was further adjusted, to give my preferred level of brightness/saturation:

    981777.jpg
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    Lord VetinariLord Vetinari Registered Users Posts: 15,900 Major grins
    edited November 14, 2014
    Good captures Harold - I've never seen one
    Brioan v.
    Brian V.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/
    http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/
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    e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
    edited November 14, 2014
    Lord Vetinari wrote: »
    Good captures Harold - I've never seen one
    Brioan v.

    I'm very surprised. In the early summer, on warm evenings, look for flying aggregations over the top of a lone tree or chimney stack (not good for maco! rolleyes1.gif). We used to get them over a conifer in the back garden of our terraced house. Also, a lone flyer at low level, rather like the flight of a bumble bee, can often be these but they are very occasional. (More often they are the green Rose Chafer).

    Harold
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    DeeBugDeeBug Registered Users Posts: 487 Major grins
    edited November 14, 2014
    Lovely capture Harold.

    Davy
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    e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
    edited November 14, 2014
    DeeBug wrote: »
    Lovely capture Harold.

    Davy

    Thanks, Davy. You never know when a subject will present itself, especially when it will literally do so.

    Harold
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    GOLDENORFEGOLDENORFE Super Moderators Posts: 4,747 moderator
    edited November 15, 2014
    Huge thing's sent they. Make such a noise flying lol.
    Don't get them at home but see them elsewhere.
    Phil

    moderator - Holy Macro
    Goldenorfe’s Flickr Gallery
    Goldenorfe photography on Smugmug
    Phils Photographic Adventures Blog
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    e6filmusere6filmuser Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
    edited November 15, 2014
    GOLDENORFE wrote: »
    Huge thing's sent they. Make such a noise flying lol.
    Don't get them at home but see them elsewhere.

    Yes, Phil, like large (European, anyway) beetles in general, they are not streamlined flyers. Stag Beetles are in a class of their own for lumbering flight.

    Harold
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