Ladybug Gathering

Gallery: FloraPosted April 30, 2013122 views7 comments

A few winters ago I did a 300 mile hike on the Arizona Trail in January, and was surprised to find this gathering of ladybugs on a blue agave in the middle of the cold desert. Although I carried 15 pounds of camera gear for the entire trip, I almost never used it because I was lost half the time and too preoccupied to think about photography, but this one photo made the effort worthwhile for me.

Minolta Maxxum 7, Minolta 100mm Macro Lens, 4 seconds at f/5.6, Velvia 50, Gitzo Tripod

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Jeff Oates on April 30, 2013 at 7:20 PM

Beautiful shot! Well done!

Registered on February 23, 2013, 46 Posts, 83 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on April 30, 2013 at 8:32 PM

Thomas: Your rig and film bring back lots of memories for me. I still have my M7 and had to rely on it last October when I was in the Grand Canyon and my A700 died unexpectedly. I still use my 100mm some but most of the time my 200mm is the tool of choice for my flora/macro work.
This is a great find and a superb capture. 2 thumbs up! >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on April 30, 2013 at 11:17 PM

Very cool image, Thomas. I like the composition a lot and the ladybugs certainly add a lot of interest to the Agave.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on April 30, 2013 at 11:33 PM

Wonderful comp, and the combination of brightness and deep shadows really helps show off the shape of the plant. The beetles make this one really special.

A 300 mile hike? That's impressive! You did the right thing concentrating on getting back. Glad you got this shot, but gladder that you got back!

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

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on May 1, 2013 at 5:06 AM

Thomas:

Excellent image well worth your arduous hike. The red bugs blends nicely with the red along the edge of these leaves.

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

Comment posted by Giuseppe Guadagno on May 1, 2013 at 9:14 AM

The very stark contrast is really eyes keeping and creates a stark structure in the composition. The unusual ladybug meeting is a nice and colorful addition. Thanks for sharing.
Take care.

Registered on February 3, 2007, 827 Posts, 5052 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Campisi on May 2, 2013 at 3:02 AM

Excellent Thomas! Love the shapes and color contrast here!

Registered on November 24, 2008, 304 Posts, 3211 Comments