SCORPIONS

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

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mygale
Posts: 66
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SCORPIONS

Post by mygale »

I'm mostly known for tarantula photography but 2018 will be all about scorpions.

They are all 40-50 megapixel, 16bit, ProPhoto, likely the most detailed (extreme) macros I’ve ever made.
EXIF, setups and so is in the Flickr description, everything is studio work.

Someone from the Smithsonian museum said in a TV interview that they are still venomous.
I couldn’t find any proof so far but I always had this in the back of my mind.

Image
Androctonus gonneti Metasoma by mygale, auf Flickr

I'm still absolutely blown away by this metasoma. I have a another edit of this one, where it looks like it's made out of black shiny metal, one of my favorite wallpapers ever.
The original color was almost completely orange. I restored it to the original brown/black tone.

Image
Androctonus gonneti Metasoma @1x by mygale, auf Flickr

Image
Leiurus brachycentrus - Aculeus by mygale, auf Flickr

Unlike tarantula fangs which always are completely black, every scorpion aculeus I have seen so far was always darker at the end.
So far I assume that's due to the metals > https://flic.kr/p/VyXM4Y > https://flic.kr/p/Vz7G3X

Image
Eye of the Scorpion - Leiurus brachycentrus 6x by mygale, auf Flickr

On the 100% few you can see the many scratched on the eye. Also, the mouth is on the right.

Image
Scorpion Chela Apistobuthus pterygocercus by mygale, auf Flickr

Image
Shield-Tailed Scorpion by mygale, auf Flickr

This sp. is the holy grail of scorpions. It also took A LOT longer to produce than anticipated, in total 12 hours.
I had to build this styrofoam box 3x, find sand that matched the one in the habitat, photographed 4 complete stacks, edited 2 own them completely manual with layer masks and combined them then.
Three days after staging it still wasn't hardened, there are 000 insect needles under the one Chela which holds them up. The Jansjö gives it a little "open dessert" hard light.

Image
2018-03-04 17.34.43 2 by mygale, auf Flickr

Image
My 2018 project: Scorpions by mygale, auf Flickr

All of them were collected for research purposes or are captive breeds, none of them were killed. Usually, they directly go to the universities.
I keep them completely intact, which makes it a lot harder to photograph them at 6-10X.
Since weeks I'm working full time on the upcoming scorpion projects, so there's a lot more to come.

Smokedaddy
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Post by Smokedaddy »

Excellent!

razashaikh
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Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 11:40 pm
Location: India

Post by razashaikh »

Stunning set!

svalley
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Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:07 pm
Location: Albany, Oregon

Post by svalley »

Exquisitely executed, well done.

Steve
"You can't build a time machine without weird optics"
Steve Valley - Albany, Oregon

leonardturner
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Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:40 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

Post by leonardturner »

Spectacular! Your hard work has produced great results.

Leonard

mygale
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Post by mygale »

Image
Buthacus stockmanni Telson 3,2X by mygale

Buthacus stockmanni Telson 3,2X

This small scorpion species with around 5 cm body length (body+flat metasoma) has an exceptionally long aculeus.
It’s named after my friend Mark who discovered it, and collected this exact specimen in the wild.
Original colors restored based on a living one, also photographed by me!

mygale
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Post by mygale »

Image
Hottentotta franzwerneri Metasoma 2x by mygale, auf Flickr

0.1 Adult female Hottentotta franzwerneri preserved in 75% Isopropyl.
Location: Morocco, exact location only on request.
Original colors restored based on a living one, also photographed by me!

Sony Alpha 7RII - MPE 65mm @2x - 2x Godox AD200, Cognisys Stackshot.
7952x5304px, 32 images, ƒ5,6, 160µm.

mygale
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Post by mygale »

ImageApistobuthus pterygocercus Metasoma by mygale

Apistobuthus pterygocercus Metasoma
1.0 (Sub)Adult male Apistobuthus pterygocercus preserved in 75% Isopropyl.
Location: Oman, exact location only on request. Original colors restored, based on a living one also photographed by me!

Sony Alpha 7RII - MPE 65mm @~1,2X - 2x Godox AD200, Cognisys Stackshot, 78 images, ƒ5,6, 250µm.
Since weeks I'm working full time on the upcoming scorpion projects, so there's a lot more to come.
Check the first posters here: https://mygale.de/en/scorpions/

Macro_Cosmos
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Post by Macro_Cosmos »

Oof, that's a lot of scorpions. The amount of detail is staggering! Great work. Looking at them sent shivers down my spine, that's the level of detail :D

mygale
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Post by mygale »


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