This is the caterpillar stage of the Atlas Moth

[JBW]

[Shadowman]

Nice shot, I would be tempted to modify that left hand bottom corner to all green.

[Dave Humphries]

This is great Brian, a very unusual shot.

I like the way we feel 'at home' with the caterpillar, ensconced within its cosy environs, with the world at large outside (below), with light streaming in, illuminating his/her face while it considers whether the weather is suitable to go out

All that from a photo

It is sharp, well exposed, good colours and has nice composition - just wondering how you did it without your new lens

Cheers, Dave





PS Apologies if you fell off your seat

[ionian]

Great shot Brian - how big is the caterpillar? The light on its head (I presume it's the head, it looks like a cross between a stormtrooper, a 1980s punk and an Ikea swatch book) is stunning and makes the picture for me.

I read that Atlas Moth caterpillars can produce silk, so we expect a self portrait of you in your imperial finery shortly!

[Wavelength]

One of the most superb image from you; kudos!!!!!!

[Geoff F]

Very good, Brian.

As an alternative to John's suggestion I suppose you could slightly crop from the bottom and right side, but still show all the feet.

[DanK]

A great capture, and an amazing creature.

[Tronhard]

Love the image, and the bitten leaf shows what it has been up to!

[jcuknz]

If you rotate the image 5 degrees left you can do c rop which still has enough 'white' to illustrate/justify the bright 'face' of the cat without it being overpowering.
I agree with Dave in wondering why you need a 'macro' lens and sugest what you have with a couple of automatic extension tubes would keep you happy for years to come .. reducing the need to crop as I suspect you did here.
They have been an eye opener for me and further question any need for me to need a macro lens and better , much superior, to close-up lens which I advocated in the past [ though they really only come into their own with a much longer lens than you have.].

[JBW]

This is great Brian, a very unusual shot.

I like the way we feel 'at home' with the caterpillar, ensconced within its cosy environs, with the world at large outside (below), with light streaming in, illuminating his/her face while it considers whether the weather is suitable to go out

All that from a photo

It is sharp, well exposed, good colours and has nice composition - just wondering how you did it without your new lens

Cheers, Dave





PS Apologies if you fell off your seat

I did it in JPEG with the Fujifilm S4200 about 6 months ago. As a rule I don't repost old shots but with the Atlas moth shots this seemed reasonable to post this shot of the caterpillar stage twice.

Luckily I was sitting when i read your post.

[JBW]

Nice shot, I would be tempted to modify that left hand bottom corner to all green.

When i was a pastor it was part of my job description to help people resist temptation.

[JBW]

Great shot Brian - how big is the caterpillar? The light on its head (I presume it's the head, it looks like a cross between a stormtrooper, a 1980s punk and an Ikea swatch book) is stunning and makes the picture for me.

I read that Atlas Moth caterpillars can produce silk, so we expect a self portrait of you in your imperial finery shortly!

The beasty is about as thick as a mans thumb. And about 10 Cm. long. I do have the cocoon from the Atlas moth shots. I'll see if i can get a decent shot of it.

[JBW]

Very good, Brian.

As an alternative to John's suggestion I suppose you could slightly crop from the bottom and right side, but still show all the feet.

that could work too.

[JBW]

A great capture, and an amazing creature.

giving credit where credit is due it was our gardener/handyman that spotted the beast. We then tied the plant he/she was on down so that we could get up close and to stop it from moving in the wind. Then he steadied everything.

Every time i look at this shot i am amazed at the transformation from this to an Atlas Moth.

[JBW]

One of the most superb image from you; kudos!!!!!!

It was one of the shots that convinced me to upgrade my equipment. I believed then and now that as good as the Fujifilm is I was pushing the limits.

[JBW]

Love the image, and the bitten leaf shows what it has been up to!

It is one of my best. As well it is one of the shots that convinced me of the advantages of shooting with context.

[JBW]

If you rotate the image 5 degrees left you can do c rop which still has enough 'white' to illustrate/justify the bright 'face' of the cat without it being overpowering.
I agree with Dave in wondering why you need a 'macro' lens and sugest what you have with a couple of automatic extension tubes would keep you happy for years to come .. reducing the need to crop as I suspect you did here.
They have been an eye opener for me and further question any need for me to need a macro lens and better , much superior, to close-up lens which I advocated in the past [ though they really only come into their own with a much longer lens than you have.].

I did indeed do a bit of cropping. This beast was in he sweet spot of the 4200. But as much as i wanted RAW I needed a better anti shake system.

[Dave Humphries]

It was one of the shots that convinced me to upgrade my equipment. I believed then and now that as good as the Fujifilm is I was pushing the limits.

Ah, If it was the Fuji-film S4200, that explains how you focused so close.


If you had shot this with your A58 and a Macro lens, the major differences we might notice would be;
a) much less Depth of Field
b) possibly better handling of the blown area lower left
c) less noise

That said, b) and c) are not really an issue in this shot as presented here (i.e. after your PP on jpg).

[JBW]

Ah, If it was the Fuji-film S4200, that explains how you focused so close.


If you had shot this with your DSLR and a Macro lens, the major differences we might notice would be;
a) much less Depth of Field
b) possibly better handling of the blown area lower left
c) less noise

That said, b) and c) are not really an issue in this shot as presented here (i.e. after your PP on jpg).

I am not sure the Sony Alpha a58 is a DSLR. As I understand it inside is a translucent mirror that doesn't move? Sony refers to it as a SLT.
link

I wonder what would have happened if I shot it with the telephoto?

[Dave Humphries]

I am not sure the Sony Alpha a58 is a DSLR. As I understand it inside is a translucent mirror that doesn't move?

OK, ok, be pedantic
(that's normally my job)
I have now edited my post to be more accurate!

I wonder what would have happened if I shot it with the telephoto?

You would likely have been further away if the focal length were increased, which in this particular shot might not have been a good thing, since we might have lost the intimacy of the angle of view/perspective which is implicit with this 'cosy' shooting distance.