Mosquito stack

Images taken in a controlled environment or with a posed subject. All subject types.

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lauriek
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Mosquito stack

Post by lauriek »

This little bugger tried to bite me while I was shooting shrooms the other day so in the pot she went and in the freezer!

Image

Stack of around 120 images with Nikon 10x CF objective.

Cyclops
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Post by Cyclops »

Woa cool shot Laurie! I always admire the patience of you stackers-must take lots of work!
Canon 5D and 30D | Canon IXUS 265HS | Cosina 100mm f3.5 macro | EF 75-300 f4.5-5.6 USM III | EF 50 f1.8 II | Slik 88 tripod | Apex Practicioner monocular microscope

Aynia
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Post by Aynia »

Wow, she's very fluffy. :D

acerola
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Post by acerola »

Interesting angle, good stack.
Péter

augusthouse
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Post by augusthouse »

That is a good angle Laurie.

Amazing structure and colour.

I've always thought of mozzies as uninteresting and annoying; but I'll have more respect for them after seeing this image.

Craig
To use a classic quote from 'Antz' - "I almost know exactly what I'm doing!"

lauriek
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Post by lauriek »

Thanks all!

This one came out a bit darker than I like but it's a contrasty little devil, with bright white and very dark areas. I can't boost the light at all without that white area in the middle blowing really badly (at the moment there is a tiny area of ffffff full white).

This mossie is actually very nice looking up close, it's body has interesting dark/white markings all over it. I wanted to shoot it from the front, but the antennae stick straight out at the front and mask the face completely as they are pretty much as big as the rest of the bug!

P_T
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Post by P_T »

I've always seen them as target practice, see if I'm fast enough to snatch them out of the air. :D

Now that I've seen your stack, I want to see more.

Can you do a stack on the tip of the proboscis? I want to see what that thing they stick into me looks like. :evil:

Tom Stack
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Post by Tom Stack »

Laurie,

Absolutely wonderful image!

Was the Nikon 10x objective on a bellows or scope?

lauriek
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Post by lauriek »

Thanks Tom!

I'm currently using the objective on a bellows, I only have a really crappy compound scope at the moment!

P_T,

Believe it or not I did try, but this specimen didn't have the 'syringe' part exposed. It looks to me like the actualy syringy bit is very thin and quite stiff, and is surrounded by 4 long moveable 'arms' (modified palps?) - which are normally wrapped round the needle part, presumably to protect it. I'd need to put the specimen under a decent microscope to try to tease these arms away from the needle part. Sadly I lack the decent scope to do this with!!

Next time I'll wait till the bugger is actually biting me, then bung it in a pot and shove it in the freezer straight away, might catch it with the needle out!

Walter Piorkowski
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Post by Walter Piorkowski »

Beautiful work you are doing on this subject Lauriek. I've got to stop smashing them to get a better look. Walt

acerola
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Post by acerola »

Here is the tip of the sucker. It is like the tip of the syringe, but more sophisticated.
Péter

lauriek
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Post by lauriek »

Thanks Péter, I knew I'd seen that somewhere, should have known it was here really!! ;)

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