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Ephemeral Gold
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Ephemeral Gold

by Wayne Jones

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted July 17, 2012160 views6 comments
This is one of the few macro shots I've had time for this summer, and I grabbed it during fleeting light, featuring an insect that comes and goes almost as quickly as the light.

The title comes from the color of the little mayfly and the fact that both the light and the insect are ephemeral. In fact, this is the only frame I got where the light was like this. The name of the mayfly order is Ephemeroptera, referring to the fact that the adults do not feed, having no functional mouthparts, so they live only a day or two -- just long enough to complete their brief mating/breeding cycle.

This one is in the family Heptageniidae (stream mayflies) but I did not take the ID further because I did not keep the specimen to key out, and there are several species in at least three genera that look just about identical to this one.

Canon 5DMkII
Sigma 150 mm. Macro
1/10 sec. @ f/16; ISO 640
Tripod

Comments

6 comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on July 17, 2012 at 9:10 PM
Very impressive capture, Wayne. I love the beautiful backlighting, the artistic lines, the superb detail, and the golden color of the mayfly against the contrasting green BG. Just beautiful. :toast:
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on July 17, 2012 at 9:25 PM
Wayne - Stunning by any standard :eek: . The larger versions really sings. Great backlighting, translusence and you have come perfectly parallel to the insect :toast:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments
Comment posted by Yiming Hu on July 17, 2012 at 10:10 PM
Wayne, this is so elegant and beautiful. Like the exquisite comp and the elegant light.
Registered on April 28, 2011, 38 Posts, 733 Comments
Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on July 18, 2012 at 9:53 AM
I would have never thought a mayfly could be beautiful but you sure have brought out the best in this one. A standout image in every way.
Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on July 18, 2012 at 11:23 AM
A super shot Wayne. I love the light on this along with the dark BG. Great detail and sharpness. Really nice.
Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments
Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on July 19, 2012 at 9:09 PM
This is a stunning macro image, Wayne! Very artistic comp with the sweeping lines of the "tail" and the upside down POV of this critter. The details are fantastic on the mayfly and the lighting is just amazing. Great DOF control in this. Well done! :toast:
Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments