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A Fly's Eye


A Fly's Eye
Photo Information
Copyright: Darren Melrose (Darren) Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 35 W: 0 N: 50] (245)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-10-17
Categories: Insects
Camera: Pentax *ist D, Tamron SP 90mm
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/160 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2004-10-24 10:59
Viewed: 9372
Points: 15
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
OK, this is another one of those shots that makes me feel outclassed by the rest of the folks here. I have no idea what kind of insect this is and again, have no idea how to find out. So rather than give you the details on the fly itself, I will tell you the (very slightly) amusing story behind the photo.

My girlfriend and I had just come out of the Taipei 101 building, and I set my camera bag down and opened it up to take some photos. As I opened it up, this little guy landed on the bag. Carefully, I pulled out my macro lens and flash, getting ready to take a shot. At about this time, my girlfriend noticed the fly on my bag and shooed it away, arrgh!! What I saw as a photo op, she saw as a pest. She set her book down and I was about to take some shots of her. However, just as she set the book down, the little fly came back and landed on the bag her book was in. The background you see here is the lime green color of the bag you get when buying a book from Page One (the biggest bookstore in Asia).

Thankfully I got the shots of the fly, as well as shorts of my girlfriend and the 101 tower in the background later.

Handheld, but elbows resting on concrete, I believe the flash was triggered wirelessly here, with a Lumiquest diffuser, ISO 400, uncropped, normal post processing.
Callie, gerhardt, marhowie, Esox, Osmeterium has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Callie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1101 W: 95 N: 2610] (7555)
  • [2004-10-24 11:31]
  • [2]

This is some bee, Darren. Nice compo too, great BG. Two nits, the black triangle in the top right, clone out, and the f-stop must be much smaller!

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2004-10-24 11:51]

It's nice that you got your girlfriends shorts ;-). The head of this fly is very well seen, I would have liked more DOF to get some more of the body in. I agree with Callie about the top right triangle. Good work. I do hope the bag goes with the shorts.

vraiment une belle pacros !
c'est rare de voir des insect totalement noir, les yeux on l'aire vraiment jolie, dommage qu'on a pas le droit a un gros plant dessus ;)
good work.

  • Good 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
  • [2004-10-24 15:23]

At f7.1 the insect is much larger that your DOF. I love the eye on this - Are you sure he wasnt giving your girlfriend the eye? :)

I like the shot and thanks for posting

Nice potrait, the strange eyes over the extremely green bag are good. I like the history of the shot in the note, thanks.
F:7.1 should have given you a larger DOF but sometimes is not enough, a pitty this time. Good try.

Darren, you did well to get they eye-detail on this one. The lime BG contrasts nicely. The DOF is limited but it's still worth the effort. Thanx for sharing.

Hello Darren! Very good eye detail. I would've come in a little tighter on the shot & broke it off to the side a bit since you have a relatively long bug. I know what it's like to work with DOF limits, mine being F8. You increase your detail but it will decrease your DOF with attached macro lenses..But you knew this already? Nice head shot!

  • Great 
  • Esox Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 239 W: 20 N: 344] (972)
  • [2004-11-15 12:54]

A great shot with efficent DOF.
Details are beautiful and I love these eyes.
Well done.

Hello Darren,

This is an interesting soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (Stratiomyidae, Hermetiinae), introduced throughout warmer regions of the world. Larvae of Hermetia illucens inhabit many types of decaying organic matter, they were recorded eating on human excrement and human remains. Usually this species occur late in the decomposing process.

Best regards,
Dmitry

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