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Marmalade hoverfly


Marmalade hoverfly
Photo Information
Copyright: Gert Ellstrom (ellis49) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3387 W: 343 N: 9480] (30807)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-08-23
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon EOS 40 D, Sigma 150mm F2.8 APO Macro DG HSM, Digital RAW 200
Exposure: f/4.5, 1/320 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): TN Classics [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-11-07 23:57
Viewed: 957
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
First I will thank you all for the fine comments on my previous post.

This is what I can find out a Marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), a small and common hoverfly up here.
I don’t have any Swedish name for it, we don’t have any book yet, but it will be one soon and then it will be much easier to ID the flies, we have around 350 species in Sweden.
I hope you like it.

As usual I’m not interested of point,
I have given them up like some others. I have turn of the points, so don’t waste your green ones

Info from Wikipedia.

Episyrphus balteatus, usually called the Marmelade Fly, is a relatively small hoverfly (9-12mm) of the Syrphidae family, widespread throughout all continents. Like most other hoverflies it mimics a much more dangerous insect, the solitary wasp, though it is a quite harmless species. The upper side of the abdomen is patterned with orange and black bands. Two further identification characters are the presence of secondary black bands on the 3rd and 4th dorsal plates and of faint greyish longitudinal stripes on the thorax.
The Marmelade Fly can be found throughout the year in various habitats, including urban gardens, visiting flowers for pollen and nectar. Often form dense migratory swarms, which may cause panic among people for its resemblance to wasps. It is among the very few species of flies capable of crushing pollen grains and feed on them. The larva is terrestrial and feeds on aphids.
Like in most other hoverflies, males can be easily identified by their holoptic eyes, i.e., left and right compound eyes touching at the top of the head.

Sigma 150 Macro, handhold camera
ISO 200, Raw-format, av-mode, spot metering.
Converted in Canon DPP
Levels, Contrast, Crop, resized to 800 pixels, Smart Sharpen, in PS CS4
pvs, Alex99, eng55, Argus, xTauruSx, kmr13777, eqshannon, uleko, crs, CeltickRanger, horia has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To pankajbajpai: Sigma macro'sellis49 1 11-08 03:59
To pvs: NN editionellis49 1 11-08 00:19
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • pvs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1168 W: 261 N: 3035] (13835)
  • [2008-11-08 0:08]
  • [+]

Hi Gert,

A nice capture,it is not easy to capture these fellows in flight,but you did a superb job,the light is great as well the clean oof BG,as well I am waiting for the NN edition about this flyers as it wwould make identification a bit easier,well done and tfs,here grey and dark at the moment,have a nice weekend,

Paul

  •      
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3585 W: 143 N: 5669] (18533)
  • [2008-11-08 0:36]

Hi Gert.
It really is amazing to watch so tiny hoverfly in flight. I am impressed with hair on an insect body's. Blurred wings are looked perfectly and reflect the movement so nicely. Magnification level is huge. The lighting is very attractive. Is it backlight? Exposure of the hoverfly and its colours are spot on. Well done and my kind and warm :) wishes considering Swedish cold weather.
Yours Alexei.

  • Great 
  • eng55 Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1138 W: 32 N: 1161] (3574)
  • [2008-11-08 0:39]

Hi Gert,
It's and excellent in flight macro shot.Use of light,colors,details,POV and composition are wonderful.
Thanks for posting..

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2388 W: 94 N: 5521] (17576)
  • [2008-11-08 0:46]

Hello Gert,
Great sharp-detailed focus in this photo. Beautiful clear light an colours against a wonderful OOF BG. Very good composition and POV.
Regards,
Peter

  •      
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3816 W: 190 N: 11348] (34987)
  • [2008-11-08 1:07]

Hej Gert,
An amazing sharp in-flight of Episyrphus balteatus taken with great use of the lighting to produce a fine effect and with correct exposure. This is not easy to achieve: I have tried several times to catch a hoverfly in flight but have not yet succeeded!
Well done my friend and thanks for sharing this delight.
Trevlig helg,
Ivan

marvelous capture Gert,
the freesing of this hooverfly is fantastic, what a details and what a quality, marvelous photojob here, have a nice day.
regard Jaap

hello gert,
what a lovely capture with sigma 150 mm, my attempts of shooting flying insects havent met with any success except once of a tailed jay. I am always surprised how you guys focus it??/ This image is well composed, the details are good, the smooth bg adds to the shot,

how do you rate this 150mm macro lens from sigma. I want to buy one soon. may be a 150 or 180 mm. please advice.

tfs & regards
pankaj

Hello Gert, amazing close-up shot of a marmelade hoverfly in flight. The focus on eyes are great.
TFS and greeetings,
Deniz

Great inflight capture Ellis! Excellent details and colors against a nice dark BG.

TFS

Kirti

Hi Gert,
This show the pure control you have in photography. Capturing such a small animal is difficult, but capturing it in flight even more. Come to think of it, predicting the flight path og the hoverfly can be very tricky. I've seen them more turns in a flight one would not expect. I love the translucent effect on the moving wings and the wonderful lighting on its body.
TFS,
Niek

Just fantastic shot, Gert,
full in action and with perfect sharpness.
You catched this fly so good, perfect timing. F/4.5 and this good quality (without flash ;-), I'm amazed.
Very well done, thanks
Sabine - wishnugaruda

Superb....Either you are the genius here or you got real lucky...of perhaps some combination therein...This was a great chance shot...no words...technically what can one compare it too!? There are benchmarks and I think you have raised the bar!
Bob

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2992 W: 162 N: 950] (2789)
  • [2008-11-08 8:40]

Hej Gert!
What a splendid view of this little Hoverfly with huge eyes! Excellent shot in beautiful light making the abdumen almost transparent and the wings and the little hairs really stand out. Well done!
TFS and have a great weekend! (Here it's foggy, ugh!) Ulla

  • Great 
  • crs Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 523 W: 0 N: 920] (3543)
  • [2008-11-08 10:01]

Hello Gert,

This is not an easy photo to do. I am wondering how you could get such an excelent sharpness on insect's body. Even fine details like the heary body can be well seen. Morover you have made an excelent exposure so that colors are so strong and vivid. Evenly grey colored background looks very well matching perfectly with the main subject.

Thank you for sharing,
Cristian

Ciao Gert, great capture of fantastic hoverfly in great fly, superb macro with fine details and splendid sharpness, perfect focus and wonderful blurry BG, beautiful colors, very well done, ciao Silvio

hello Gert

WOW ! what a superb in-flight shot of this insect,
because of your POV, a little bit lower than the subject,
and because of the sharpness and details, it is giving
the impression that it is a 3D image, i love the blur
of the wings that shows the motion on the image, TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2172 W: 218 N: 4383] (14902)
  • [2008-11-09 0:21]

Hi Gert

Nice to see another shot from you, my friend!
This, too, is a nice reminder of m first days of TN :) I saw you macros and i was simply amazed :) And it was photos like this that wanted me to know more, to learn more and to do more...so, thanks!

I really like the back-light effect that you used here! I think that setts this shot apart from all the other hoverfly in-flights.
Surely, the details are impeccable and the DOF is spot-on...but that is always expected of you :)

Bravo and TFS
Horia

  •      
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2001 W: 226 N: 6845] (24727)
  • [2008-11-09 13:55]

A brilliant macro, Gert!
The sharpness is excellent.
Great focusing.
Superb DOF.

Very well done,
Joe

  • Great 
  • iti Gold Star Critiquer [C: 88 W: 0 N: 7] (534)
  • [2008-11-10 11:48]

Hi Gert
Perfect capture of flying hoverfly.
Excellent sharpness details.
Regards Jiri.

Flying insect is my dream shot. You captured it perfectly.
Dennis

  •      
  • pilonm Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 548 W: 90 N: 871] (2919)
  • [2008-11-14 9:48]

Hello Gert,

Wow! What a fantastic image took at a not less fantastic POV in order to get this so nice bg bringing all our attention to the fly! 1/320 was an excellent choice to keep the blurinness of the wings and the body perfectly frozen! The light is remarkably managed also and like the lighting in the hair!!!

Great job and TFS!

Michel

  • Great 
  • briGG Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 171 W: 2 N: 272] (1383)
  • [2009-05-30 11:28]

Hello Gert,


Extraordinaire!
Quelle finesse et quelle précision pour une capture en plein vol!
BRAVO, de la haute voltige!

TFS

brigitte

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