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Matthew


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Why (Basic Editing)
Camera: Canon EOS-5D
Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM
Location: Gortyna, Crete
Date: Jun 5, 2007
Aperture: f10
ISO: 250
Shutter: 1/800
Galleries: Animals, Macro
Date Uploaded: Jun 5, 2007

 Thanks for all the helpful comments. Also, thanks to my wife who spotted this colony of ants and dragged me to see the one carrying a feather and then insisted I photograph it!

The ant was in fact climbing up an ancient sandstone wall with this feather in its mandibles: I rotated the image by 90 degrees because it was too weird that the ant could move so effectively up a vertical surface. The location was the Roman ruins at Gortyna in Crete (an interesting place in its own right).

I took the photo using my 70-200 and a 500D close up lens/filter. I handheld and set the camera focussing to track focus– this function is an excellent reason why close up filters are better than tubes. The image is a crop of the central quarter of the image – it was a pretty small subject.

Post processing was minimal given the basic editing restrictions. I played with the colour and contrast and tried to get the best compromise in sharpening out of the naturally very sharp ant and the naturally very soft feather without using selections – all without obscuring more detail than necessary in the ant. This was all on my small travel laptop with a bad screen and so I am pleased that I got it roughly right (thank goodness for histograms).

Thanks!

Statistics
Place: 5 out of 292
Avg (all users): 6.9000
Avg (commenters): 8.4615
Avg (participants): 6.5970
Avg (non-participants): 7.0796
Views since voting: 2898
Views during voting: 303
Votes: 180
Comments: 24
Favorites: 10 (view)

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AuthorThread
 08/23/2007 05:44:18 PM
Maybe slightly shoe-horned into the challenge, but a great capture. not really much to say about this that hasnt already been said.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/19/2007 03:41:35 AM
Wonderful image, deserved more than the 5th!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/17/2007 01:11:55 AM
Fantastic! Congratulations on your 5th place.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/15/2007 05:40:49 PM
Well done Matt (and Helen)
Love this little ant very much - well the picture of it at least.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/15/2007 02:24:42 AM
Such an impressive photo - made even more wonderful by your description.

Well done too to you wife for spotting it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/14/2007 09:00:57 AM
Very impressive macro...congratulations on the HM!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/14/2007 04:20:54 AM
congrats, i was sure of a good final result.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/14/2007 12:24:24 AM
Excellent.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
06/13/2007 09:11:57 PM
Was it acutally carrying the feather? These little guys are pretty strong for their size and get up to things one would never even guess at.

I wish I would get the opportunity to take a shot like this one day.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/12/2007 10:45:00 PM
This is really my kinda shot! I'm all so jealous now ;)
An amazing macro shot. Love it! :D 10
The contrast between the sandy colored surface and the ant is excellent the the feather leaves me speechless. Why? didn't come to mind at first though, but you gotta think why does the Ant need this object.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/12/2007 08:52:14 PM
Darn good question in this case!! Great find.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/12/2007 01:16:59 AM
My favorite for the challenge.

Nice work! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/11/2007 10:56:14 PM
Nice camera work. Why is that ant carrying that big feather? Hmmmm...
Good luck!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/11/2007 06:11:34 PM
Excellent macro
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/09/2007 04:16:17 PM
perhaps for obtain 8 from me? No 10 (I nearly never assign 9 it seems me a stupid vote) because i don't like the put of focus on the foreground (with macro it's very difficult obtain a great DOF) and the colours perhaps can be better. but is a great photo. I don't know your actual average but I think that this image can go far .
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/09/2007 11:53:25 AM
Great capture... Nice DOF. I think I would have cropped down and up a tad. -9-
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/09/2007 01:43:18 AM
WOW. great capture. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/08/2007 01:31:41 PM
Could be a little sharper. I am not sure if it was cropped to far, or what. Overall though, I really like it.

I am not a good photographer, I do not claim to be better than anyone, any criticism is meant to be constructive criticism......
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/08/2007 12:53:42 AM
...or How ??
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/07/2007 04:26:22 PM
Cool picture. Very Nine Inch Nails. The black ant and the white feather are great natural contrasts, in colour and in life.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/06/2007 02:24:13 PM
This is perfect...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/06/2007 09:30:27 AM
very excellent !!! top15!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/06/2007 07:30:36 AM
Brilliant capture - how did you manage to get this one? 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/06/2007 04:21:58 AM
very nice macro & idea..7
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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