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European hornet

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted August 22, 2010481 views11 comments

Canon EOS 5D mk2 with Canon 100 mm macro IS USM. Combined with 1.4x extender, 12mm + 25mm extension tubes and MT-24EX macro twin lite with Stofen diffusors and extra home made diffusors. Shot from tripod with the help of a macro focussing rail.
Shot in daylight with flash. Manual exposure at ISO 100, 1/200s f/9.0.
Basic post processing in Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS4.
In Germany this is a protected insect. If you kill one you can be fined US $ 50,000.
This Hornet has a sting but it is actually less aggressive than the more common Wasp.

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on August 22, 2010 at 1:43 PM

Wow this is an extreme closeup and super cool. The only nit is the flash is a bit bright but you may be able to tone some of that down in post processing.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on August 22, 2010 at 8:42 PM

Super macro. This must be >2x mag. Good focusing. Agree with Luke that the flash is a bit strong.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by jamie pringle on August 22, 2010 at 9:33 PM

Incredible magnification and a truly unique viewing angle. I agree with Luke's comment about the flash. It looks like the hornet is taking a drink

Registered on August 10, 2005, 323 Posts, 1216 Comments

Comment posted by Sam Rua on August 23, 2010 at 12:13 AM

Nice job with the detail and comp, Herb. Very nice capture. Ditto to Luke's comment about the flash, but nothing major from my perspective.

Registered on September 9, 2006, 130 Posts, 2281 Comments

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on August 23, 2010 at 3:22 AM

Very impressive macro shot, Herb, but I suspect you could be fined in your country by using such a flash on this insect

Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Herb Sennet on August 23, 2010 at 5:24 AM

Hello to All,
Thanks for your comments. I agree with Luke and all of you that the flash is far from ideal. I love natural light but as you all know too well this has it's limitations for really close up work and moving creatures.
So I am struggling for the moment with my flash gear. Bringing a big softbox is no option, diffusing my flash drastically will bring too much loss of light and so on. Best thing is now to dial out the unpleasant flash artifacts during post process, although I do not like this either. It is a lot of work every time and you will have to do it very good so that it will not be noticed. I have a little dimmed version on my website for now.
Greetings from Herb.
I will be in jail for some time because of my flash attack

Registered on September 20, 2009, 87 Posts, 106 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Moats on August 24, 2010 at 4:38 PM

Hey Herb, nice tight shot of this handsome fella. The flash added some catch light in the eye.

Registered on October 20, 2004, 892 Posts, 6324 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on August 31, 2010 at 11:22 PM

Excellent~!
Congrats on a fine EP!
Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on September 1, 2010 at 3:47 PM

Herb,
Escellent super-close shot! I think your light set-up works pretty well. I can't think of a way to improve it without the big light box you mention, other than using one or two extra lights, which of course is even more unwileldy. The low anglel is superb. Congrats on a well-deserved EP.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by mark cillo on September 5, 2010 at 7:09 PM

Wow! That is really impressive, nice work with the extension tubes

Registered on July 27, 2008, 143 Posts, 1483 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Williams on March 19, 2018 at 6:50 PM

Great in your face shot of this tough looking customer.

Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments