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deadly embrace
deadly embrace
roz


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Free Study 2009-04 (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: 2009 - CHALLENGES
Camera: Canon EOS-40D
Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro
Location: on the firetrail
Date: Apr 16, 2009
Aperture: f9
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/125+ExtFlash
Galleries: Macro, Insects, etc
Date Uploaded: Apr 21, 2009

 [May. 7th, 2009 05:30:57 PM]
because quite a few ppl questioned why i entered this image when it was so similar to caught by the boogey man !! which was my entry in Nightmares II .. i'll explain why ..

a free study is where you put your best photograph of the month .. this was it ..
we expect to see the occasional photograph that has been entered in a side challenge, a slightly different one in another challenge or even the same scene we've seen many times before ..
i cant see myself getting anything even remotely as good as this for a long time .. so all that influenced my choice to enter it in this free study ..

i asked the sc if it was ok to enter this because it was so similar to my nightmares entry ..
shannon scalvert said As long as it's a different frame, it's legal. Some voters will no doubt question it, though, and the familiarity of such a recent, high-ranking photo might affect your score. ..
i thought i'd risk the low voters, hoping ppl would vote in this free study unbaised by any other photograph they may have seen .. i also got it validated as early as i could ..

& despite what some ppl might think it's not easy for me to get a shot like this .. my eyesight isnt the best so getting one photograph was brilliant, getting two amazing ... :)
most times i'll hear a robberfly before i see him .. they sound like a blow-fly only with a deeper tone .. when they stop buzzing it's usually because they've landed & they can be hard to locate once they land if they're in surroundings that are a similar colouring to their own .. its nearly impossible following them with my eyes when they're flying, coz they move so quick ..
this robberfly landed at my shoulder height with his wasp .. its hard getting the focus exactly right when i'm squatting down and bracing my arms against my legs to keep perfectly still .. standing up, like i was in this situation, its even more difficult .. i brace against my body, but my body moves & the slightest movement will mean i'll be focused on the wrong part of the eye or on its back legs or something .. that's like a movement of a couple of millimeters, if that .. you have to be that precise ..
i often hear ppl say you should use a tripod .. well, i'd like to meet the insect that doesnt fly away while i set up my tripod to within 6 inches of it's face and move branches and leaves in the process .. of course i could set the tripod up and wait, but a robberfly landing in that exact place AND having a meal at the same time would be like a gazillion to one chance .. i'd be waiting several lifetimes .. i've tried a monopod but it just didnt work for me ..
also there's no way of knowing if i got it right until i see it on the computer .. sometimes in the camera i'll think i've got a winner only to find, when i get home, that the focus was slightly out and that's another one in the recycle bin ..

all styles of photography have their difficulties and i've just told you some of the ones associated with insect macro photography when the insects are in their natural surroundings .. there's lots more, but i think you might get bored ..

thanks everyone who voted on the merits of this particular photograph in this particular challenge .. :)
and if you've read this far then you deserve a blue ribbon.. .. !!!..lol .. :)

Statistics
Place: 15 out of 435
Avg (all users): 6.6870
Avg (commenters): 6.8333
Avg (participants): 6.6771
Avg (non-participants): 6.7143
Views since voting: 2282
Views during voting: 367
Votes: 131
Comments: 34
Favorites: 4 (view)

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AuthorThread
 05/13/2009 10:39:55 PM
hi steve stupidcat..
i do hear you ..
but how would they change the rule that says you can't enter the same photograph (frame) in more than one challenge .. ??
if they said you couldnt enter something very similar there'd be the difficulty of deciding how much of a change they'd allow .. how many times do you see the same scene entered in different challenges .. should they say, 'sorry, you've taken that one before, you'll have to enter something different ..' ..
and what about if more than one person shoot the same scene and come up with nearly identical images ..??

& i dont know about any clique .. i assume that if ppl think a photograph is mine then they might actually vote me down .. i dont know why this is so when the rules clearly state that we should all vote unbiased .. voting on how the photograph relates to the challenge description and how it stacks up against the other submissions ...
and then there are the self portraits .. should they say that ppl shouldnt enter those in a challenge because some voters know who you are .. ?? ...
i voted in this free study .. i knew how many very low and very ordinary votes i was getting and it passed thru my mind to go and give out a whole heap of low votes to all the brilliant photographs i could find .. fortunately sense prevailed .. when voting was over i could see on the first and second pages, especially, photographs i'd given 8's, 9's and 10's to .. that made me feel good ..

but i love photographing bugs ... i've found them fascinating since i was a very small child .. that i can now see their amazing intricacies with my macro lens is a wonderful gift and i'm so grateful for any positive feedback i get .. also hearing how ppl regard these supposedly unpleasant insects in a different and more positive way from viewing my photographs pleases me ..
should i not enter macros of insects just in case some of the voters think it might be mine . ??

i agree with you that giving out low votes was probably not the way to go in this situation, if a person felt as strongly as you then they shouldnt have voted at all .. but ultimately everyone is entitled to their opinion and is responsible for their own actions ..
& it is only a photograph entered in a dpc challenge .. there are so many other more important things in this world ..

i'm sorry this is troubling you ..
all i can say is that i regarded it as my best of the month and decided to enter it even tho i was warned it might attract low votes because of nightmares ..
i really hope you dont lose your respect for dpc because of this ..
the site council do the best job under the circumstances and they do it voluntarily .. :)

Message edited by author 2009-05-15 08:14:02.
 05/13/2009 08:16:46 PM
I didn't vote because of this photo. I have been a member of the site for some time and I certainly have issue with this photo being accepted by the Site Council. I have had a lot of respect for DP Challenge up until now. I can certainly see why people are leaving. It appears as though there is a clique on this site. As long as it is people who are highly respected (those with ribbons) it is ok that they enter photos that anyone can tell who they are and this can certainly help their votes from their friends.

I do agree this is an exceptional photo. No doubt. And I would never stoop to the level of those that vote low because of situations like this. I simply decided to not enter and not vote. Sorry if no one agrees. But this is troubling to me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/12/2009 03:45:59 AM
An incredible shot and it's a shame that some of the voters used a low vote to reflect their (incorrectly-held) belief that the rules were being broken. Keep on shooting shots like this and entering them in as many places as possible!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/09/2009 09:45:45 PM
HI ROZ,
Great explanation on what it takes to capture and insect..Not an easy feat by anymeans.. Fabulous detail, amazing photograph a big hug and Congrats..

It's taken me a while to surface.. I heard every word u said read it several times..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/09/2009 12:22:06 AM
First...Lydia...sick!

Sandy said it perfectly. Congratulations!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 11:20:52 PM
Must be newbies who don't know how it works here, and how many people have won multiple ribbons with similar shots from the same shoot! When you get a "miracle shot" like this -- not once but TWICE! It is well worth multiple awards! I'm downright disgusted by the five 1's and seven 3's!

And yet, still a 6.687! Just goes to show how award worthy this photo really is! To survive such bias and still come out with a score most everyone would kill for in a free study!

Congratulations Roz - for your skill in GETTING a shot like this, and for continued success in everything you touch in your macro work!

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 11:45:32 AM
It looks like the little wasp is actually smiling while he's being cuddled... not eaten. :)

Thanks for the notes. An interesting (and valid) read.

Congrats on this capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 10:21:14 AM
You're amazing!!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 08:53:18 AM
This is an amazing shot!!! I wish you had done better on the challenge...you really do deserve it....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 03:07:26 AM
Brilliant image Roz! The clarity, detail, composition ...... their expressions. You are amazing!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 02:16:28 AM
Holy cow....5 votes on a 1. Come'on people. This is a brillant image Roz. Always well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 01:29:41 AM
I'm always ALWAYS amazed at your photography, Roz. And a 15th in a FS is nothing to sneeze at, that's for sure! Truly a great photograph, and quite interesting to me to see the differences in the edit between the basic version and the more rich, deep advanced version here. And you can email me my blue ribbon - I did indeed read the whole thing. :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 01:15:15 AM
TOPS IN MY BOOK & YOU ARE A FANTASTIC MACRO PHOTOGRAPHER..... love always shez
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 01:10:45 AM
I read it all, Roz. With pleasure. Congrats again on a magnificent image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 12:28:42 AM
You go Roz! Spooky but cool at the same time, and with awesome colors.
I read your description about your shooting technique. I find that a good monopod is very useful for this kind of shooting, and it allows me to move around freely to set up shots. It also takes the load of the camera and lens off my shoulders and back, which is nice. I use a Giottos 5580, and it has a couple of holes near the camera mount where I can screw one of the rods that comes with it. That allows me to brace it alongside my neck for even more stability in the left and right plane. I can also shorten it up enough to put the foot on my belt, which allows even more freedom to move about when shooting birds and active things.
Link with photos, 5580 G.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/08/2009 12:14:26 AM
Roz - great photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
05/07/2009 04:36:29 PM
Totally magnificent and deserving of the front page in any challenge. The attention to detail, focus and control of colour and light are simply at a professional level.

A photograph without fault or blemish.

p.s. glad I'm not the little guy . .
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/07/2009 12:59:28 PM
incredible macro..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/06/2009 07:52:56 PM
The queen of bugs is at it again! Nice focus and colors!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/06/2009 06:17:26 AM
WOW very striking photo.Nicely captured Very fine details, don't think you could have got any closer
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/05/2009 01:57:11 PM
WOW. awesome photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/05/2009 04:37:47 AM
That is one intimidating looking insect.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/04/2009 09:58:20 PM
Not as creepy as your other one Roz, but I like the bolder colors.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/03/2009 10:43:16 PM
Interesting that you are choosing to submit this. I will be interested to see how the DPC world reacts to seeing this in light of the sister image's blue ribbon win in Nightmares II. This is definitely a strong and beautifully managed image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/03/2009 08:48:09 PM
This is something of a quandry as this is almost an identical image to a blue ribbon winner in a previous specific challenge. It's technically and artistically perfect and an image worthy of a National Geographic photo shoot - the difference between this and the previous image is a very minor change in capture angle. As the image has been validated (an error in this reviewer's opinion) the rules must be followed and appropriate rating of a ten to honor the technical and artistic perfection must be given. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/03/2009 12:26:53 PM
This is very similar to the recent "Nightmare" challenge blue ribbon entry, perhaps with higher quality processing. I would expect a fair number of low votes based on this no longer being fresh and original but instead a revisit of a previously successful image. This version might be better for a print than the earlier version, but the grim content would probably limit sales.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/03/2009 11:26:01 AM
Woah... This would have been good "Nightmares"!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/02/2009 09:45:20 AM
this looks like the same image that won the nightmare challenge??
not voting yet.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/02/2009 09:18:11 AM
If you post this in every challenge you could win them all.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/02/2009 05:23:31 AM
Well, despite the bashing you'll be getting for offering a version of this scene again, I always thought it was a Free Study contender. We often see images from the same shoot appearing in multiple challenges - so not a problem for me.

Remains an inspiring piece of work. Great stuff! One of the six 10s I have given in this challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/01/2009 10:42:32 AM
um...this is pretty exactly the same as the image you submitted for the Nightmares challenge. Its almost a "count the differences" comparison. Lets see, the wing in this picture and its not in the other one. I see a bit more detail in the darker areas on this one.

I probably won't be the first (or last) to suggest this but why not go with something different?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/01/2009 10:41:01 AM
Omg, how crazy. What an amazing shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/01/2009 06:53:31 AM
wow, very nice macro, amazing detail. (9)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/01/2009 03:53:33 AM
Hé, there's a rule about entering the same photo in different challenges.

You may not:
use the same original image in more than one challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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