3-for-1 Insect Night Macro

[Keith Alan]

I got lucky when shooting this giant Ox Beetle with a pillbug and a mosquito joining the party.



The Ox Beetle is bigger than a cicada.

[matthew]

That's a shot you couldn't get no matter how much someone wanted to pay. That's just creepy.

What sort of shutter speed are you using at night to freeze a mosquitos' wings?
(Or are you using a flash with a diffuser?)

[Keith Alan]

I'm using the Sony HVL-F1000 flash held right near the end of the lens with my left hand.
No diffuser, but since the flash is auto-exposure it dials itself down when used at short distances.
I just shoot in Program mode and the flash usually delivers a good exposure.
The laser hologram really helps for getting good focus, but the beetle was constantly walking towards me so this was the only keeper out of a dozen tries, and I had no idea the mosquito was there until I looked at it on the computer.
I got lucky again.

[NT73]

Great colours and some photo.