Keywords: kenya africa biml usgs usgsbiml droege megachile taxonomy:genus=megachile white on black whiteonblack mandibles megachilidae pokemon animal black background depth of field insect macro From Kenya comes one of the many flavors of Megachile...or leaf cutting bees, though this species likely does not cut leaves as you can see from the lack of cutting edges on its mandibles, more likely its paddle like mandibles are made for moving mud around. Nice visual signal with the bright white reflecting hairs on the jet black background, one has to wonder why that particular design is useful to this species. ~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~ All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200 The murmuring of bees has ceased; But murmuring of some Posterior, prophetic, Has simultaneous come,-- The lower metres of the year, When nature's laugh is done,-- The Revelations of the book Whose Genesis is June. -Emily Dickinson Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen: Basic USGSBIML set up: www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4 PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up: ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques: plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo or www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU Excellent Technical Form on Stacking: www.photomacrography.net/ Contact information: Sam Droege sdroege@usgs.gov 301 497 5840 From Kenya comes one of the many flavors of Megachile...or leaf cutting bees, though this species likely does not cut leaves as you can see from the lack of cutting edges on its mandibles, more likely its paddle like mandibles are made for moving mud around. Nice visual signal with the bright white reflecting hairs on the jet black background, one has to wonder why that particular design is useful to this species. ~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~ All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200 The murmuring of bees has ceased; But murmuring of some Posterior, prophetic, Has simultaneous come,-- The lower metres of the year, When nature's laugh is done,-- The Revelations of the book Whose Genesis is June. -Emily Dickinson Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen: Basic USGSBIML set up: www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4 PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up: ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques: plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo or www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU Excellent Technical Form on Stacking: www.photomacrography.net/ Contact information: Sam Droege sdroege@usgs.gov 301 497 5840 |