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Baby Aphid


Baby Aphid
Photo Information
Copyright: Steve Reekie (LordPotty) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1449 W: 146 N: 3764] (12033)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-05-27
Categories: Insects
Exposure: f/5.7, 1/500 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-05-27 16:47
Viewed: 640
Points: 12
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
A few days ago I got a new Canon SX10 IS and I've been having mixed success with it.
I haven't done too well trying to photograph fungi in low light situations yet,but it does seem to be very good for zoom shots,especially as the OIS is so good it allows for hand held shots at 20x!

This photo is the result of an experiment.
Since it was too cold outside to concentrate for long without shivering,I picked a flower complete with aphid,and set it on a coffee table in my lounge.
Luckily,there ws plenty of sunlight streaming through the window,so I was able to use the natural light.
This is taken on the SX10 IS using the Raynox DCR 150 macro teleconverter.
I really liked the colours and bokeh in this shot.
Hope you like it too.

Here is some stuff about Aphids from Wikipedia:

Aphid

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Sternorrhyncha
Superfamily: Aphidoidea

Aphids, also known as plant lice (and in Britain as greenflies),are small plant-eating insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea.Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions.The damage they do to plants has made them enemies of farmers and gardeners the world over, but from a purely zoological standpoint they are a fascinating and very successful group of animals.

About 4,400 species of 10 families are known. Historically, many fewer families were recognized, as most species were included in the family Aphididae. Around 250 species are serious pests for agriculture and forestry as well as an annoyance for gardeners. They vary in length from one to ten millimetres.

Natural enemies include predatory lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), hoverfly larvae (Diptera: Syrphidae), parasitic wasps, aphid midge larvae, crab spiders, lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), and entomopathogenic fungi like Lecanicillium lecanii and the Entomophthorales.

Aphids are distributed worldwide, but are most common in temperate zones. Also, in contrast to many taxa, species diversity is much lower in the tropics than in the temperate zones. They can migrate great distances, mainly through passive dispersal by riding on winds. For example, the currant lettuce aphid (Nasonovia ribisnigri Mosley) is believed to have spread from New Zealand to Tasmania in this way. Aphids have also been spread by human transportation of infested plant materials.


Thanks for looking and for any feedback.
Cheers
Steve
Argus, boreocypriensis, nasokoun, goutham_ramesh has marked this note useful
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To goutham_ramesh: macro stylesLordPotty 1 05-29 02:14
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3750 W: 187 N: 11171] (34499)
  • [2009-05-27 22:09]

Hello Steve,
As this aphid is only about .5cm long you did well to get sharpness at this level. As far as I know compact cameras don't perform that well with teleconverters because they have such tiny lenses and are more prone to chromatic abberation. All considered this experimental result should perhaps be an encouragement to continue with subjects that are slightly larger.
Cheers,
Ivan

Hi Steve,
Awesome capture of this tiny aphid with excellent details, nice POV/DOF and fine composition.
TFS and cheers,
Bayram

hello Steve
very interesting scene, fascinating glance in the microcosm
TFS
Nasos

Congrats on your new camera and this is a very good picture of Aphid. i like the space around the subject and the tonal gradations. There are 2 school of thoughts in macro
1. PPL who prefer tighter close ups of insects and portraits with lots of detail ( I belong to this ).
2. PPL who include the surrounding and the insect only take a small but significant part in the frame

Both thoughts are pleasant and its worth exploring and your picture falls into the second thought.

Kudos its a very nice picture

Ciao Steve, great macro of little creature, fantastic details and excellent sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio

Hallo my friend,
I have a picture like this too but yours is better.
Congratulations !!!

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