How to make this pop...

A regular visitor to the house at this time of year. I'm guessing this is a Sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus. I've tried getting pictures of these in the past without much luck but am more pleased with this one although the reflection from the flash I find distracting. It's crawling on a camo bean bag, sidelit from the window and I've used a 430EX flash mounted on camera with a Sto-Fen diffuser. Other techs:

30D, Sigma 150mm
F16
ISO 800
1/60th sec
CS2 with minor curves, levels, shadow/highlights, USM, minimal crop.

All comments welcome.

Thanks

Tim

a strange looking tick, I've never seen one of these before. What sort of size was it? Nicely captured.

Matt

Hi Tim,

Nice image!

Thanks for the comments. Matt, this was about 8mm long. They seldom look any different to this when they've fallen or been pulled off our long suffering dog after a full blood meal. It's a bit foreshortened in this view - they're about twice as long as they are wide. She picks up several a week from May to October or thereabouts.

Good photo Tim. These things give me the creeps, we regularly used to get them on our dogs until we moved to non-sheep country.
Well detailed and well fed by the look of it.

Nice one Tim. Certainly looks fed up !
Urgggh!
JR

I hate these animals. Wish they were never born. They are useless.

Sorry Tim. I just hate them. They are everywhere, even in our garden. About 40% have the lyme bacteria. I would love to say it's a beautiful shot but I just can't
I will compliment you later, ok?

Edwin Kats

LOL Edwin. Why do you think I put the title to this post as 'How to make this pop...' ? I can't stand them either and the usual treatment they get in our house is not getting their photo taken...

I make them pop with a hammer on a paving slab, that always seems to do the trick (if you want to try this at home, always take it off the dog first of course)
it's a fine shot despite the subject.
Eric

We have many ticks in my area and they seem to be attracted to me, I often have to get the tweezers out. Love your image shows it off really well!

David

Try the fresnel lens of a better beamer. That would make them pop

Edwin Kats

Thanks for the ideas and comments Eric, David and Edwin and Eric, I must compliment you particularly on your humane feelings towards the dog.