On a small bit of plastic pond liner, tucked away under the paving stones that overlap my little pond, were loads of pale little lumps that were twitching to the naked eye.
Thanks to 3 extension tubes and a bit of a crop, the movement is revealed as a Springtail Boogie Session! Lots of little Globular Springtails, each one less than the size of a pinhead. Almost certainly these are the Sminthurides aquaticus variety.
Used flash & an ISO 500 to get enough light into the area, and a touch of NR in post-production.
Exif:
Camera Maker: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Image Date: 2013-07-07 19:12:38 +0000
Focal Length: 100mm
Aperture: f/10.0
Exposure Time: 0.0063 s (1/160)
ISO equiv: 500
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: Yes (Auto, return light detected)
Orientation: Normal
Color Space: Adobe RGB (1998)
GPS Coordinate: undefined, undefined
Copyright: Copyright: Paul Iddon - A View of the UK
Paul.
