Fly with a hitchhiker

C.Seno · Post by **C.Seno** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 4:12 pm

Here is a fly I found that had a parasitic tagalong.

The hitchhiker at 20x

The fly at 4x

10x

20x

Dalantech · Post by **Dalantech** » Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:17 pm

Really nice set -love that light!

Do you think that it was just using the fly as a sort of "air lines"? I've seen mites use beetles just for transportation.

C.Seno · Post by **C.Seno** » Sat Oct 24, 2015 9:17 pm

Thanks Dalantech!
I'm not sure about the mite. I'm really a novice when it comes to insects and their lifestyles (I have so much to learn). But I did read somewhere that adult mites have 4 sets of legs. The mite in the picture has 3 sets so its probably not mature yet. Hopefully someone on the forum can give a good lecture about the hitchhiker.

naturepics43 · Post by **naturepics43** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 5:10 am

Very nice series. I like your lighting, especially the second image. What kind of material are you using for the black background? My experiments with black background have failed. It puts a blueish cast on the specimen. Well done!

C.Seno · Post by **C.Seno** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 3:33 pm

Naturepics43 - Thank you!

The material I use for the black background is felt. You should be able to buy the felt from a craft store (like Joann's or Michaels).
The higher the magnification, and the deeper the stack is, the harder it is to get a black backround without any work in post. For me this problem occurs at 10x and beyond. Some reasons for that is halos, the stacking software algorithm, and the objective itself. About that, Rik explains it here - http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... 042#135042 . I found that article very informative.
As for the color cast on the specimen, i am not sure. I havent had that problem. The only thing I can think of is chromatic aberration or WB.

naturepics43 · Post by **naturepics43** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 7:11 pm

C.Seno wrote:Naturepics43 - Thank you!

The material I use for the black background is felt. You should be able to buy the felt from a craft store (like Joann's or Michaels).
The higher the magnification, and the deeper the stack is, the harder it is to get a black backround without any work in post. For me this problem occurs at 10x and beyond. Some reasons for that is halos, the stacking software algorithm, and the objective itself. About that, Rik explains it here - http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... 042#135042 . I found that article very informative.
As for the color cast on the specimen, i am not sure. I havent had that problem. The only thing I can think of is chromatic aberration or WB.

Thanks for the reply, C.Seno. The black felt worked perfectly. Turns out the black paper that I used was too shiny. Thanks also for the link. Very helpful.