Possibly Hornet?

[ClaudioG]

Hi all..i'm not sure but i'm thinking this is a Hornet. Genus - Vespa
Not quite sure which family and to be honest im surprised they are in South Africa.

Anyway.. i was lucky to get close as they quite edgy. Im not sure though...i'm extremely happy with the sharpness but the stalk its sitting on is just putting me off..i've tried different crops, maybe i should just crop in hard on its head? Any suggestions?

PS : Please view Full Screen

#1


#2

[Wavelength]

Terrific shots; adorable...

[IzzieK]

No, don't do anything....it is perfect as it is...

[deetheturk]

Hi Claudio,iv'e been in Scotland so have not been posting or commenting,these are super shots bud,i'm with Izzie,leave them as is,well done you are defo getting better mate!!!

Cheers David

[bnnrcn]

Hi Claudio,I like them too.By the way I think this one has got more than two eyes too.What I learnt in CIC is that a mantis has got 5 eyes and a spider might have 6 or 8 eyes.So all these little creatures are full of eyes

[Geoff F]

Not sure of the exact species, Claudio. Looks a bit different from UK species.

But there is sufficient detail there to show that it is a male.

Count the antennae segments, 12 for a girl, 13 for a boy!

[Dave Humphries]

Brilliant shots Claudio,

Best I have seen of anything like this, especially with the extra eyes and the patterns on the compound eyes.

I was interested in the EXIF data, so I reproduce it here (for the first shot):
Nikon D5100, 90mm, 1/60s, f/13, iso100, flash fired.
Shot RAW and processed with ACR6.4.1 and Photoshop CS5.

So basically, I have no excuse for not being able to almost replicate a shot like this with what I have - boy, you set the bar high

Well done,

[Shadowman]

Very nice.

[ClaudioG]

Brilliant shots Claudio,

Best I have seen of anything like this, especially with the extra eyes and the patterns on the compound eyes.

I was interested in the EXIF data, so I reproduce it here (for the first shot):
Nikon D5100, 90mm, 1/60s, f/13, iso100, flash fired.
Shot RAW and processed with ACR6.4.1 and Photoshop CS5.

So basically, I have no excuse for not being able to almost replicate a shot like this with what I have - boy, you set the bar high

Well done,

Dave you are to kind. To be honest though. I truly think my diffuser has allot to do with it. It's large, but i love the way it softly lights my insects. Btw, i shoot in raw and jpeg. I set jpeg pic control to plus one contrast and plus one saturation. Flash to manual, and i see instantly if my shot is working. First shot i always always check, if the bug gets away so be it.
I do usually practise a few on flowers and plants in different light to get the just of it first.

[ClaudioG]

Brilliant shots Claudio,

Best I have seen of anything like this, especially with the extra eyes and the patterns on the compound eyes.

I was interested in the EXIF data, so I reproduce it here (for the first shot):
Nikon D5100, 90mm, 1/60s, f/13, iso100, flash fired.
Shot RAW and processed with ACR6.4.1 and Photoshop CS5.

So basically, I have no excuse for not being able to almost replicate a shot like this with what I have - boy, you set the bar high

Well done,

Dave you are to kind. To be honest though. I truly think my diffuser has allot to do with it. It's large, but i love the way it softly lights my insects. Btw, i shoot in raw and jpeg. I set jpeg pic control to plus one contrast and plus one saturation. Flash to manual, and i see instantly if my shot is working. First shot i always always check, if the bug gets away so be it.
I do usually practise a few on flowers and plants in different light to get the just of it first.

[ClaudioG]

Not sure of the exact species, Claudio. Looks a bit different from UK species.

But there is sufficient detail there to show that it is a male.

Count the antennae segments, 12 for a girl, 13 for a boy!

Geoff, as usual i always look forward to hearing from you when i post an image, with a little fear as well though, because usually I'm not spot on with identification . Ty for your help as always.

[FootLoose]

That first shot is amazing, Claudio. Anyone not viewing these at full screen is really missing out. Well done.

[ClaudioG]

Brilliant shots Claudio,



I was interested in the EXIF data, so I reproduce it here (for the first shot):
Nikon D5100, 90mm, 1/60s, f/13, iso100, flash fired.
Shot RAW and processed with ACR6.4.1 and Photoshop CS5.

Dave i also wanted to say that i actually dont use my jpegs most times, i actually use them so i know what to get to in Raw and then to some small adjustments. My editing is really not good.. so i need to get my shots as close to correct as possible. So thats where the jpeg image comes in, if i'm happy with that, i'll be happy with a little editing.

[ClaudioG]

That first shot is amazing, Claudio. Anyone not viewing these at full screen is really missing out. Well done.

Thank you Greg, much appreciated

[dedro]

awesome Claudio!!!

[deetheturk]

Hi Claudio,after having another and another and another look at these,i think they are possibly the best so far!

Well done mate and 10/10 for bravery

Cheers David