OT: A hopper

["Umm fish?"]

I was out picking what are likely to be the last ( ) Thai chiles of the year, and I found this little dude hiding and sleeping on one of the chiles. PLUS, it was cold enough that this little guy wasn't going anywhere fast. It's too bad that I didn't have a chance to set up the tripod 'cause this would have been the perfect opportunity for some focus-stacking fun. At any rate, I hope you enjoy!

Magnification of 1:1 (well, a little more than that because of the small sensor in my camera):

Magnification of 2-2.25:1 (same disclaimer):

And here's a crop and zoom of that last one:

As an aside: See, I would _never_ have believed that I ever needed to look up a grasshopper's nostril. Obviously, I was wrong.

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

You did this without a tripod?! :thumbsup:

 

["Umm fish?"]

Yep, that one's handheld. The key is with the light. Since you're shooting macro and the subject's so close, even small flashes can far overpower the available sunlight. I'm kind of surprised that there was any background light at all in that first photo.

Then you have to realize what your camera's light sensor is telling you about the exposure and its relationship to the flash. The camera _really_ wants to only use the flash for fill light (saves on battery power) and the exposure information the camera gives you is aimed for that purpose. But if you try to take photos that the camera thinks is underexposed, the camera will _try_ to power the flash enough to give you the shot (overpowering the ambient light).

So, I set the camera for impossible exposure information (I think 1/100 and f11 on this one, but I didn't double check) and took the picture and hoped. Well, I do check the LCD to see if I'm getting anywhere close.

Thanks!

 

[reefman13]

Absolutely incredible. That takes some intense skill. Very nice

 

[graveyardworm]

Amazing photos Andy Is that a reflection of the camera in its eye?

 

["Umm fish?"]

Thanks, y'all.

Is that a reflection of the camera in its eye?

I don't think so. I think that's the end of whatever passes for an optic nerve in grasshoppers.

From here: http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/C/CompoundEye.html

Heck, now I'm learning grasshopper anatomy. That thing next to the eye is the ocellus and _not_ a nostril. I'm still safe.

Ocelli - Also known as simple Eyes. Those eyes can only detect light intensity and not actually see anything. It is believed that they help to find the sea-level or horizontal during flying.

http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_insects/GrasshopperHead.htm

 

[mesamech]

That is a truly amazing shot, and hand held to boot!!!:bounce3: