Macro DSLR Speed Challenge #18 "An Ant" [Archive] - Canon Digital Photography Forums

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John_B

15th of March 2009 (Sun), 17:31

Macro DSLR Speed Challenge #18
An Ant!

With this week's Macro DSLR Speed Challenge #18 "An Ant!". I want you macro photographers to show me the best Ant insect macro photo you can come up with. I am pretty sure there should be an Ant somewhere nearby, so go capture it on your DSLR :)

Have Fun!!

Standard Rules apply:
Photo Submissions:

1. Camera - Any Canon DSLR camera
2. Lens - Any lens, or attachment that can give Macro (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=779256&postcount=2) photos (ex. extension tubes, bellows, macro filters, reverse mounted lens and of course a true macro lens.).
3. Time - any on-topic photo taken at any time is eligible, although photos that have won other competitions should NOT be entered.
4. Size - Please see the Image posting rules (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=194511).
5. Post-Processing - do whatever you like and the host will decide if it works.
6. Posting -
* ONE MACRO PHOTO (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=779256&postcount=2) per photographer in each challenge.
* Photo Name/Title in the message.
* Camera model & lens used in the message.
* Post brief Exif data including ISO, shutter speed and aperture used in the message.
* Notes - anything you feel you need to explain.
7. Commenting - No commenting during challenge. When the posting is closed and a winner has been declared, comments can be made in this thread.
8. Questions - Use PM
9. Have FUN! :)

One challenge every week, on the following schedule:

* New Topic - After winner is declared.
* Posting Starts - Right after topic is announced.
* Posting Ends - 06:00 PM EST (Eastern) Monday, March 23, 2009. Winner will be announced shortly thereafter.
* Winner from this competition decides the theme of the next one (and judges it for a winner) after this competition is closed.

Here is a link to our previous Macro DSLR Speed Challenge winners <-- click to see (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=606993)

jmchooper

17th of March 2009 (Tue), 09:03

Velvety Smooth
Looks like an ant, walks like an ant, must be an ant

OK, it's really a wingless wasp called a velvet ant. They are called cow killer ants in my area.

Canon XT
18-55 mm @55mm with (+3,+2,+1 Hoya diopters)
1/200s
F5.6
ISO 100
pop-up flash
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d102/john1995/velvetant1.jpg

Daniel2000

20th of March 2009 (Fri), 10:06

"Duel"
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh26/Daniel2000/macros/IMG_6685.jpg
the only ant pick I could find... :p
Canon Powershot S3
1/400"
f/3.5
no ISO info...

Flo

20th of March 2009 (Fri), 11:45

Honeydew Follower's

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/emmaloudawg/color%20efex/IMG_7818JPG.jpg

Camera Model: Canon EOS 20D
Date/Time: 2008:05:08 16:25:40
Resolution: 800 x 649
Flash Used: Yes (manual, red eye reduction...
Focal Length: 55.0mm (35mm equivalent: 198m...
CCD Width: 10.01mm
Exposure Time: 0.0040 s (1/250)
Aperture: f/19.0
ISO Equiv.: 400

lavanut

22nd of March 2009 (Sun), 20:50

This was definitely a challenge, but it was a good excuse to go out and practice with the MP-E 65. Now I even MORE appreciate what the great ones can do with that lens. It's definitely not as forgiving as the 100mm macro. I had lots of missed focus shots before I got this one.

Camera: 40D
Lens: MP-E 65
Aperture: 7.1
Shutter: 1/125
ISO: 400
Other: used a beanbag to help steady myself after working in the yard most of the day. Honey really does work great at making these guys stay still a bit longer!
351671

monty28428

23rd of March 2009 (Mon), 18:01

Ok late by a few minutes...
Edit: fixed wrong Exif...

40D, f/4, 1/60, iso 400

John_B

23rd of March 2009 (Mon), 18:48

Well... first thanks to all participants :)
and all photos were great (except Daniel2000 "Duel" as it wasn't shot with a DSLR, nice try though :lol: ).

For Third Place: Honeydew Follower's by Flo
Great colors and the fly looks like he/she kept an eye on you :)

For Second Place: "Sippin' Honey" by lavanut
Very nice catching an ant with a sweet tooth :)

For First place the choice was difficult but I overall liked:
"Velvety Smooth" by jmchooper
I have never seen one of those before and the color really helped me choose this photo :)

Thanks again to all participants, and spread the word about our Macro DSLR Speed Challenge (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=606993)

monty28428

23rd of March 2009 (Mon), 18:53

Congrats jmchooper!! Way to go Gail & Lavanut as well!! Nice shots all!

Flo

23rd of March 2009 (Mon), 19:24

Congratz jm:D

lavanut

23rd of March 2009 (Mon), 19:46

Congratulations jmc! I saw one of those ants for the first time last year and had no idea what it was at the time. Your pic was better than the one I got then.

Nice shots Gail, monty and Daniel (with the Powershot)!

Thanks for the challenge, John, except now I want to go shoot more ants!

-g-

23rd of March 2009 (Mon), 20:16

Way to go, everyone! Sadly, no ants here yet this year..

Daniel2000

23rd of March 2009 (Mon), 20:57

Well... first thanks to all participants :)
and all photos were great (except Daniel2000 "Duel" as it wasn't shot with a DSLR, nice try though :lol: ).

Damn, I completely forgot about THAT part... lol
and I had one taken with my 40D and took that one because I was finding it better... stupid... lol

it would have been that one... not a winner but would not have had been disqualified... lol

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh26/Daniel2000/macros/IMG_2532.jpg

pennypue

23rd of March 2009 (Mon), 21:41

Way to go, everyone! Sadly, no ants here yet this year..I looked for one. Probably just a little too early. I thought about putting some sugar water out, but then I might just end up with them in the house too!

I think they were all fantastic!!!
I really like the colors and focus of the Lantana Ant from Monty.

tonylong

24th of March 2009 (Tue), 06:53

Sweet! Way to go, all!

brecklundin

24th of March 2009 (Tue), 21:00

you "guys" do pretty good work!! ;)

Way to go, everyone! Sadly, no ants here yet this year..

Same here but for a different reason...we seem to be built on the worlds largest anthill so I spray about 3-4x/yr...thus no ants. :( Then again no finding them setting up shop in the toilet tank lid as we found a whole colony living in about 4 or 5 yrs back. hehehehe, we just could never figure out where the leetle buggers were coming from. They setup a colony INSIDE the tank lid which had an airhole from when it was fired in in the kiln to let the air escape. Ever since, no ants...anywhere. :D

John_B

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 17:31

Hmm..... 48hrs later and after PM still no reply from this weeks winner. So should I start another Macro DSLR Speed Challenge and if so suggestions for a topic? ???

Or should I just hand it to the second place winner? ???

Or should I wait longer, if so how much longer? ???

Please share your opinion!

brecklundin

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 17:39

maybe wait until later tonight? If nothing then 2nd place winner makes sense to me. Anything to get lavanut from setting something else on fire!! hehehehe...

John_B

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 18:24

maybe wait until later tonight? If nothing then 2nd place winner makes sense to me. Anything to get lavanut from setting something else on fire!! hehehehe...
Thanks brecklundin :)

Anyone else want to chime in? ???

Daniel2000

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 18:26

second place should take the flag, it happened to me once
and if I remember right, I was even in third place

monty28428

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 18:27

I'll second brecklundin -- looking at previous posts by jmchooper shows a pattern of posting once a week - perhaps today is that weekday :-)

John_B

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 18:28

second place should take the flag, it happened to me once
and if I remember right, I was even in third place
Thanks Daniel2000 :)

Anyone else want to chime in? ???

John_B

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 18:31

I'll second brecklundin -- looking at previous posts by jmchooper shows a pattern of posting once a week - perhaps today is that weekday :-)
Thanks mony28428,
I also thought that but its been over a week since jmchooper posted.

Well with three votes saying to wait and then give it to lavanut the second place winner. That is what I will do, hopefully either jmchooper or lavanut will see this :) I will ask lavanut to start a new Macro DSLR Challenge tomorrow :)

monty28428

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 18:38

Well I would hate for the winner not to get the easy job of picking the next contest winner :-)

John_B

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 18:40

Well I would hate for the winner not to get the easy job of picking the next contest winner :-)monty28428,
Not me, I love winning I hate picking the winner :lol:

monty28428

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 18:50

LOL -- Yeah -- that's what I said in a nicer way!

lavanut

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 20:18

maybe wait until later tonight? If nothing then 2nd place winner makes sense to me. Anything to get lavanut from setting something else on fire!! hehehehe...

Hey, now. I'm not a pyromaniac or anything! So far the only thing I've set on fire are matches and candles, and I want to keep it that way! I do want to get some more cool... I mean "hot" ... photos though. Stay tuned for those.

If jmchooper doesn't respond tomorrow, I'll be glad to put something up, and it won't be fire related! :D And then I guess that means I'd have to pick the next winner.... oh joy... On second thought.........

brecklundin

25th of March 2009 (Wed), 23:57

lavanut,

:lol: Yeah, well when you burn the evidence I suppose we have to take you at your word. :p

lavanut

26th of March 2009 (Thu), 12:53

OK folks, I posted the next challenge. I hope jmchooper doesn't mind, but I gather you all wanted something up so you can go shoot. I feel a little bad stepping in since he won, but since you asked, here you go...

Macro DSLR Speed Challenge #19, "Pins & Needles" (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7603120#post7603120)

See? No fire/matches thing here, brecklundin :)

monty28428

26th of March 2009 (Thu), 18:46

Thanks for stepping up to the plate Lisa! Nice subject as well.

brecklundin

26th of March 2009 (Thu), 20:06

jmchooper

28th of March 2009 (Sat), 02:08

Thanks for the comments on my photo and for stepping up when I wasn't around. I have been in Southern Oregon and Redwood NP for the last eleven days on a photo trip and just got back in. I missed out on the the results form the "ant" challenge, but I do have twelve gig of landscape and macro photos of the left coast as a consolation prize.
I even got a few new ant shots.

Thanks again
,John

John_B

28th of March 2009 (Sat), 06:59

I even got a few new ant shots.jmchooper,
At least show us a new ant shot here :lol:

pennypue

28th of March 2009 (Sat), 10:11

jmchooper

28th of March 2009 (Sat), 13:16

OK, one ant shot for now. I've got lots of RAW conversions and PP work to do, then I'll post up plenty in the macro section.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d102/john1995/IMG_9239bsmall.jpg

Tamron 70-300 set on "macro" 1:2 then cropped

lavanut

28th of March 2009 (Sat), 13:28

Lots o' ants there. I hope you didn't get bitten!
Let us know when you get some of the other Oregon and Redwood NP pix up. I'd like to see those too!

And Welcome Back!