Sometimes, unexpected challenges arise. I love trying to predict what could happen from there, or what could have happened "if". Do you? It is a little mind sport that I can't prevent myself from practicing. For example, I can spend significant time thinking about one of my reactions in a given situation, then imagining the other possible outcomes depending on various behavior. Of course, one could say that such thoughts are useless, since the action is past. True, in a way. However, I do know that it actually helped me: in life, many scenes are repeating themselves, and having studied all the possibilities on a similar case permits me acting more appropriately on-the-fly. Experience, I suppose.
Speaking of flies, this is quite a big one. This is where my thinking gets a bit less useful in everyday life: I also can't prevent myself from elaborating scenarios that are wildly unrealistic. It's fun, it makes me smile, so why not? A few days ago, I was walking in the woods, while I heard some shots in the wind: hunters. It really is hard to love these guys. Seriously, running after some defenseless animal with dogs and riffles? For entertainment? What wrong is with them? It would be amusing to see them facing some real opponent. For example, a giant deer, or a giant boar. They would be quite surprised, wouldn't they? Would they still face it, even if the odds suddenly were against them? I doubt it.
Similarly, I always feel bad when I see someone coldly killing a bug. I believe that such behavior is a bit like what those silly hunters do: killing for your own comfort, allowing it simply because there is no risk doing so. What about life respect? Even if one is actually bigger and stronger, does it justify death? Some say that in nature, it is how things work: the strong lives, the weak dies. Well, if human beings are really that smart, maybe it is time to evolve from this ancestral rule.
A few technical notes about the fly shot: I found the insect in the basement of my house. It was already dead. I photographed it using focus stacking: 22 shots were necessary, at f/16 with the fantastic MP-E 65mm lens. Thanks for watching and for the great feedback, much appreciated!
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Ok -- I already said it was spectacular. But how in the heck do you select around all of those hairs!! I got soooo frustrated working on the squirrel...
Thanks a lot Wendy! Regarding hairs, it is not necessary to select them, it is probably much more efficient to simply use layer blending modes (see here for example).
Ok -- I already said it was spectacular. But how in the heck do you select around all of those hairs!! I got soooo frustrated working on the squirrel...
I don't understand hunters either, the ones who hunt for sport. I do understand the hunters who hunt to fill the ice box. I like this image because it does make me stop and think on a deeper level. When I see a spider on the sidewalk, I step over it and go on with my day. I think the spider only kills to survive, not for sport. Excellent work as always.
Wonderful image, in nearly all respects one of your very best IMO. Only one thing "bugs" me (jejeje); it's the way the moon's too sharp on the bright edge and it appears almost as if the clouds were behind instead of in front, an oddly disconcerting effect. Regardless, congrats on an incredibly effective take on the topic.
who else but Christophe would dare face down a giant fly with a plastic flyswatter? Wish we could have seen the end result of this epic battle :-) Congrats on the blue!
The Duel
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