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Would a Wood Ant Bite?
e6filmuser
Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
I was on a fungus foray and took limited high magnification gear. The good news is that I took my Schneider HM 40mm but the bad news is that I omitted to take my tilt adapter to eliminate internal reflections:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1360523
We came across some ants nests which were not built on the ground but not built more than an inch or two tall. Later, we came across an ant thoroughfare across a rotten wooden post.
Here, I found that the close working distance of my lens was an advantage. Its approach made the ants rear up at an angle, in a defensive stance. This gave a few seconds for a shot. The internal reflection haze spoiled all but this one, where it is tolerable when minimised by manipulating contrast, etc. The image seems adequate to support the text.
As I straightened up from leaning down close, I saw two ants biting into the skin of my thumb. The FOV of the lens /extension combination was far to small to capture this. I didn't feel the bites. Perhaps I have developed a thick skin from years of posting images in macro forums?
The colour of the ant, its small nests, and the lack of reddish colour indicate it to be Formica pratensis. The lack of long hairs towards the back of the head supports this.
EM-1, Olympus OM telescopic tubes, Schneider HM 40mm reversed, f11, twin TTL RC flash, hand-held.
The image is uncropped. The blur is the right antenna.
Harold
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1360523
We came across some ants nests which were not built on the ground but not built more than an inch or two tall. Later, we came across an ant thoroughfare across a rotten wooden post.
Here, I found that the close working distance of my lens was an advantage. Its approach made the ants rear up at an angle, in a defensive stance. This gave a few seconds for a shot. The internal reflection haze spoiled all but this one, where it is tolerable when minimised by manipulating contrast, etc. The image seems adequate to support the text.
As I straightened up from leaning down close, I saw two ants biting into the skin of my thumb. The FOV of the lens /extension combination was far to small to capture this. I didn't feel the bites. Perhaps I have developed a thick skin from years of posting images in macro forums?
The colour of the ant, its small nests, and the lack of reddish colour indicate it to be Formica pratensis. The lack of long hairs towards the back of the head supports this.
EM-1, Olympus OM telescopic tubes, Schneider HM 40mm reversed, f11, twin TTL RC flash, hand-held.
The image is uncropped. The blur is the right antenna.
Harold
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Brian v.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/
http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/
Thanks, Brian.
Now I know what to do for a dedicated wood ant session.
Harold
Must have a session shooting them this summer , fascinating to watch
moderator - Holy Macro
Goldenorfe’s Flickr Gallery
Goldenorfe photography on Smugmug
Phils Photographic Adventures Blog
Thanks. I must come an watch you!
Harold