Every summer I get a mini-plague of these things: not outrgeous, just three or four a week, but it's every summer ...
So I thought I should immortalise one for you all. The box is the match-box I use to collect them and deposit them outside - so it's a significant part of the composition as well as an excuse for a nice title. Should make a change from lots of bees on flowers though.
I was trying to get a shot that showed something of the effort the little guy seemed to have to put in to haul himself over the cardboard, but in those he didn't really look like an insect. His physiognomy is clearer this way. DOF was a real issue - needed to use the sharp focus on him and softer on the box to isolte him a little, so he had to right at the back of the focal area - tricky with the Nikon.
Background is a sheet of plain 80gsm paper, clipped to a greeting card so that it would curl up and give a studio floor effect - I like the progression of the light on that surface, so didn't try to kill that effct with levels. Seen lots of comments about 'uneven lighting on backgrounds' recently: well let me say this is better than a plain white background. Lighting is natural indirect from the left, and a halogen desk-light from the right - that's what provides the tonal range on the white cardboard of the box: cold and warm light from different directions is an old theatre lighting trick.
He worked very hard, the little critter - so I carefully let him go somewhere safe. Five hours of shooting is enough for any model, I guess. He would keeep crawling out of the wrong side of the box though, so it's his own fault.
Post-processing. Levels, to bring some detail on the bug out against the box, and a little colour temperature correction - as the morning progressed the daylight grew more dominant, and I'd set the WB early.
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Maybe crop it a little more to less of the white around the box. Try 3/4 inch off the right, 1/2 inch off the top, and 3/8 to 1/2 off the bottom. Nice creative shot!
One of my favorites! This is a great shot and also a well done spoof on all the forums about "outside the box". I like to think that my photos are outside the box too. They don't win me any prizes, but I think this one will win you one. 10
Excellent idea and composition. Almost perfect DOF too. The lighting seems a little soft on the left side of the picture, possibly some soft lighting from this side wouldve evened the lighting out. Still not enough to detract from the picture though. 10
Great DOF, it really sets the bug off. I like the box and capturing him escaping...it adds story what could have been just another picture of an insect.
Nicely setup, effective background and lighting. Not sure about the weighting of negative space in your crop. You 'posed' the beetle nicely. Good dof. 9
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