Sometimes you need to be sure your subject is not hatching () a plan to get you back for holding them down for 20 minutes of macro work. In this case, a fat house fly was tossed into a container and into the fridge long enough to imobalize it so I could try out some combinations of my cheapo macro lens and diopter with an extension tube to see how much detail i could get of the mouth and and eyes. With the F stop cranked to 22 and unable to either see to focus or auto-meter, it was trial and error but eventually I started getting some detail through the blown highlights.



All this time I never bothered to look past the head because unless the subject requred more fridge time, what could it POSSIBLY DO? Then I looked up.



I guess this is a rarer shot as I have never seen one and now I have 20 or so but just does not seem the kind to bind and put on the coffee table. You think?

[skinja]

Wow.... I'm glad I had already eaten dinner.

Cool shots, No pun intended.

You did good.

John

[pbo]

A shiver ran through me as I saw the second picture.........

[gawan]

You have changed my attitude towards flies, at least temporarily!

[Nowhere Matt]

While I am sure many of us can appreciate your enthusiasm for the hobby of photography, the first image is remarkable however we could have done without seeing the second image.

[imtheguy]

Wow.... I'm glad I had already eaten dinner.

Cool shots, No pun intended.

You did good.

John

Thank you for the kind comments Skinja.
I'm glad you ate also otherwise the food might have been...shall we say...unappetizing next time you came around to it if her brood found it.

A shiver ran through me as I saw the second picture.........

Yes, it definitly inspires emotion. Zoom it up, its a big pic. Inspire MORE emotion. I have one daughter who does lung cancer research who thought it was the coolest pic I ever took. The other daughter, a starving artist, just went "Ewwwww!".

You have changed my attitude towards flies, at least temporarily!

Does that mean you are kissing them or squashing them on sight now?

While I am sure many of us can appreciate your enthusiasm for the hobby of photography, the first image is remarkable however we could have done without seeing the second image.

Matt, you sound so serious I will take it that way. When you use the word "we" you are speaking for yourself right and wishing for support? You took no poll I am aware of that says the pic should be banned. In the last week I have seen pics of people gored to death by bulls, falling off motor bikes at high speed, bloodied in riots and on TV the forever pitiful starving babies. And you want to do without a photo of insects being born? Consider that the media has conditioned you to accept the former as "news" but the later as disgusting. I have a sciences background and find my pics fascinating. Sorry that it disturbed you but I won't consider censoring my photos of critters doing what critters do. Ok, I draw the line at dogs taking a dump or humping one another. I CAN tag my headings with a warning though. Thank you for your input.

[dragonfly]

That was gross. Great photos!

[Blue]

That fly is in the family Sarcophagidae commonly referred to as the "Flesh Flies."

Nice shots.

[Blue]

While I am sure many of us can appreciate your enthusiasm for the hobby of photography, the first image is remarkable however we could have done without seeing the second image.

The second image was the interesting one though.

[imtheguy]

That second shot was in the beginnning. Imagine two piles of offspring after another 15 minutes. I couldn't fit even half of them into the dof by the time I wrapped things up.

Flesh flies huh? I can imagine where the name originated and am happy I had no open wounds at the time.

[Lowell Goudge]

you need to be careful, someone might put yoou in a fridge for 20 minutes toi slow you down

great shots, and by the way, remind me not to eat in your kitchen