<< Previous Next >>

DUNE


DUNE
Photo Information
Copyright: Callie de Wet (Callie) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1252 W: 106 N: 2658] (7487)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-12-09
Categories: Insects
Camera: Nikon D70, Sigma 80-400 OS
Exposure: f/11, 1/60 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2005-01-25 12:10
Viewed: 1536
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Frank Herbert’s Dune needs little introduction to SCFI readers, being one of the classics in this genre. The giant, segmented worms, responsible for the spice, could very well have “evolved” from humble origins like these. And for a his desert, where can you get better sand than here in the Kalahari?

Isn’t Songololo a beautiful word? This is what the indigenous people in SA call the millipede. We call them DUSENDPOOT in Afrikaans, literally, 1000 foot, what you stand on, not what you measure.

As has been rightly said with Strange Bedfellows, millipedes often end up as prey items for scorpions. There were hundreds of these critters in the Kalahari. It is basically not possible to drive on the roads without driving over them. Some of these guys here in the Kalahari are BIG, nearly 250 mm long!

This picture shows how they are emerging out of a hole in the sand, where they were hiding? during the day. They kept on pouring out of every possible hiding place. Note the time - it is nearly 20h00, and they are running thick as thieves in Gauteng. In searching for scorpions, I was lifting every dustbin to look below it. The base of these dustbins are about 450 mm DIA. Under one such dustbin, the entire area was taken up with millipede bodies, maybe 30 of them hiding beneath this neat shelter.

The pictures was slightly cropped at the top to get rid of a amputated head, S/H a bit and reduced to 72 dpi. NO USM. I find that such late light shots suffer from noise when opened-up with S/H in CS, and then reducing costs one further detail in areas such as the legs. The colour of the sand is dinkum, maybe a bit enhanced with the spotlight and flash combination. Note their tracks in the sand.

Millipedes have two sets of legs per body segment. They belong to the Class Diplododa there are 7 orders distributed worldwide. Four of these Orders occur in Africa, and there are around 375 species.

SHOOTING DETAILS
Venue – Twee Rivieren Rest Camp
Date 9th December 2004
Time 19h49
Camera - Nikon D70
ISO 320 & -2 EV.
Sigma 80-400 F4.5- 5.6 APO OS
Filter – Cokin UV
Focal length - 180 mm.
Exposure mode - Aperture Priority – 1/60 @ F11 and spotlight held by my wife.
Flash – Balanced i-TTL off camera and SB800
Support – Handheld
PP – bit of cropping; some S/H; reduced to Site size.
willie, bikernjeeks, carper, pompey, extramundi, PDP, marhowie, jhm, elizemeijer, red45, gerhardt, deud has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekNature members may write critiques.
Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To cafecrem: Many legsCallie 2 01-27 04:10
To deud: SCFICallie 1 01-26 15:42
To gerhardt: Gold age of sci-fi!deud 2 01-26 08:33
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • willie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1023 W: 61 N: 648] (2083)
  • [2005-01-25 13:02]

These look like the worms that swallowed up the harvestors in Dune.
Mooi wurms Callie. Excellent DOF and POV. Good work

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2167 W: 124 N: 2567] (8208)
  • [2005-01-25 14:13]

Ik moet gelijk aan vissen denken Callie. Van die zee pieren die je aan de haak moet doen. Very good composing shot, the pof is very good, the colours very nice, and the note very good, great job Callie

  • Great 
  • pompey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 205 W: 4 N: 780] (2762)
  • [2005-01-25 15:50]

Love the metallic sheen of the worms contrasted against the great earthy colours of the sand.
They look as if they have been designed by an engineer.
Interesting note Callie.
Well shot!

Wow, Gerhard, 250 mm of milipede is enough for a barbecue.
Nice shot, good title, excellent note.
By the way, I agree very low light shots with S&H are usually noise, but sometimes they are not. I dont know the reason but I always try before giving up with a dark shot I like. Greetings.

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2964 W: 366 N: 3848] (11751)
  • [2005-01-25 16:35]

Ha ha! I got the joke as soon as I saw it. Made me laugh. Very good photo, you should have put a tiny model man in to recreate the film. Good shot, thanks.

Callie, Great job on this..like this grouping offering the millipede from different POV's. Their dark color stands out in stark contrast on the red sand of the Kalahari..Very good detail & I really enjoyed your note..TFS!!

Good shot Callie.
Very good sharpness, composition, colours and a great note.
Excellent work.

Btw.
If you have a a very dark picture and used the S/H and it will be noisy. Sometimes it works to give it a little dose of NI before S/H to get rid of the noise in the dark parts.
Use the automatic profile in a dark part and draw the Y- control for amount to the left for less effect, the Y-control is normally in 70 %. I works sometimes but not always.

  • Great 
  • jhm Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 659 W: 0 N: 177] (622)
  • [2005-01-26 2:51]

Deze konden niet wegvliegen om te fotograferen Callie, ik vind de zwarte wurms tegen de rood/orange achtergrond zeer mooi contrast.
Mooi werk zoals altijd.
The sharpness and the clarity are fantastic, excellent contrast!
Groeten,
John.

Ooohhh... Ons het in Warmbad gebly, en altyd met die duisendpote gespeel !!! I remember these from my childhood, thnx!

groetnis
Elize

  • Great 
  • Nico Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 209 W: 1 N: 332] (1313)
  • [2005-01-26 3:35]

Spore in die sand. I know these songololos well. I like the contrast of the colours and the "footprints" in the sand. I wonder if this a family outing?

I would like to have so many legs ;-) My life would be more easy ;-)

Great photo, very interesting and entertaining!

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2805 W: 75 N: 7845] (26275)
  • [2005-01-26 4:13]

Is it Paul Atreides, there, on back of first from the left ;-) ? My wife hates sf literature [I love both - literature and wife ;-)] but she likes Dune very much. Good photo with story Callie!

The planet Arakis, home of the spice Melange!

One of the best Sci-fi books ever written. Next to Asimov's "Foundation" trilogy.

Callie I like this a lot, not only for the "Dune" connection but for it's artistic appeal. Much like the scorpion in the hole. They are unusually large though. Never seen one so big before.

Great shot!
The Freman

  • Great 
  • deud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 491 W: 2 N: 459] (2079)
  • [2005-01-26 7:09]
  • [+]

Callie,
my love for the "bible" of sci-fi - "DUNE", is your points!

Good shot, very warm colours and very interesting note.
Well done.
TFS.

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF