# Apparently, torturing bugs isn't my thing....



## JustJazzie (Aug 10, 2015)

When I found this little guy in my kitchen window cactus, I thought he would make the perfect subject to test out some macro work. To make a long story short, by the end of the shoot I felt absolutely terrible for flashing such a bright light in his poor little eyes so many times. Surely, I caused him to go blind. :-( I don't think I will be using my speed lights on insects in the future. 

I suppose whats done is done though, and I may as well share the result.

C&C always welcome.


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## tirediron (Aug 10, 2015)

Cool shot though!


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## ronlane (Aug 10, 2015)

Just a thought jazzie. He didn't feel nothing, lol.  

Did you try to rotate it 180 degress? Possibly pull back the highlights too.


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## robbins.photo (Aug 10, 2015)

JJ,

Remember, anything in life worth doing is worth doing well.  So just keep practicing and I'm sure you'll be an expert in torturing bugs in no time.  I suggest you start with waterboarding. 

Chemical interrogation is an entirely different skill set, so stick with the tried and true.. lol

As for the picture, first rate.  Love the shot.. and I hate bugs, so that's really saying something


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## JacaRanda (Aug 10, 2015)

All the bugs would blind you if given the chance, so I say buy extra speed lights and macro the hell outta them  Seriously, go MACRO on them.

Allegedly there are 200 million insects to every human on Earth (humans and insects on other planets yet to be counted).  The estimate at more than 1,400,000,000,000,000,000 (copied and pasted that number because I would have screwed it up) = 1.4 quintillion buggers.

GO AHEAD, MACRO MY DAY!


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## JustJazzie (Aug 10, 2015)

tirediron said:


> Cool shot though!


Thank you! I was pretty happy with it.



ronlane said:


> Just a thought jazzie. He didn't feel nothing, lol.
> 
> Did you try to rotate it 180 degress? Possibly pull back the highlights too.


 lol! Actually I did, but (likely because I know this plant well) the curves were just all wrong. :giggle: as for the highlight, it is as blown as the poor subject's eyesight.



robbins.photo said:


> JJ,
> 
> Remember, anything in life worth doing is worth doing well.  So just keep practicing and I'm sure you'll be an expert in torturing bugs in no time.  I suggest you start with waterboarding.
> 
> ...


I'll take that as quite the compliment! I used to be anti-insect, then I summoned my inner earth momma and I found a new appreciation for the little aliens.

I read the saddest article suggesting that I refrigerate them a few hours before shooting to force them into compliance. Who knew macro photographers were so morbid?!


JacaRanda said:


> All the bugs would blind you if given the chance, so I say buy extra speed lights and macro the hell outta them  Seriously, go MACRO on them.
> 
> Allegedly there are 200 million insects to every human on Earth (humans and insects on other planets yet to be counted).  The estimate at more than 1,400,000,000,000,000,000 (copied and pasted that number because I would have screwed it up) = 1.4 quintillion buggers.
> 
> GO AHEAD, MACRO MY DAY!


 :GIGGLE: well, I'm not saying Ill never shoot another bug, I'll limit myself to natural light. After all, what's another bug picture worth anyways? Definitely not my next lifetime being spent as a spider on your property. ;-)


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## robbins.photo (Aug 10, 2015)

JustJazzie said:


> I'll take that as quite the compliment! I used to be anti-insect, then I summoned my inner earth momma and I found a new appreciation for the little aliens.



Not me.  If I can't pet it or eat it I have almost no use for it whatsoever.  Yes, I'm shallow.  Sue me.. 

Lol



> I read the saddest article suggesting that I refrigerate them a few hours before shooting to force them into compliance. Who knew macro photographers were so morbid?!



Wow.. not a big fan of bugs but that is a bit disturbing.  Put something like that where I store my steaks?  NEVER.

Lol


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## Derrel (Aug 10, 2015)

Neat photo though!


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## JustJazzie (Aug 10, 2015)

robbins.photo said:


> JustJazzie said:
> 
> 
> > I'll take that as quite the compliment! I used to be anti-insect, then I summoned my inner earth momma and I found a new appreciation for the little aliens.
> ...



Hey now, just remember in some cultures bugs are a delicacy!



Derrel said:


> Neat photo though!


Thank you, Derrel!


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## robbins.photo (Aug 10, 2015)

JustJazzie said:


> Hey now, just remember in some cultures bugs are a delicacy!



Well there are some cultures that eat other humans.  Don't want them in my freezer either.  Call me fussy.

rotfl


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## BillM (Aug 10, 2015)

I just have one rule, if it has the ability to bite me then i have the right to blind it if i so choose 

But I do tend to stick to natural light anyways


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## baturn (Aug 10, 2015)

It's a bug. You probably stepped on 50 or 60 of them today. Blinding a few seems insignificant. Great pic!


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## JustJazzie (Aug 10, 2015)

baturn said:


> It's a bug. You probably stepped on 50 or 60 of them today. Blinding a few seems insignificant. Great pic!



Thank you! 
At least squashing them is quick. Now the poor thing is doomed to a life of using his sense of.... (What senses do spiders have anyways??) and will probably die a slow and hungry death.


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## robbins.photo (Aug 10, 2015)

JustJazzie said:


> baturn said:
> 
> 
> > It's a bug. You probably stepped on 50 or 60 of them today. Blinding a few seems insignificant. Great pic!
> ...



Ok, well humor aside I got the impression this was actually bothering you so I put in a call to a friend of mine who happens to be an entomologist.

I posed the question to him, his response.. don't worry about it.  At all.  He said her seriously doubts that the spider would be affected by the flash, at all.

Most spiders he told me don't see for squat anyway - there eyes don't work the way ours do, even under the best of conditions all there eyes will normally sense is a change in intensity of light.  The don't really "see" to begin with, so blinding them is highly unlikely.

He told me that their sense of sight is barely used at best, they rely on vibration and smell.  So not to worry, your spider will be fine.

Unless of course you choose to go with my waterboarding suggestion.  But other than that, he's a-ok.

I on the other hand now owe bug guy a steak dinner - lol.


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## JustJazzie (Aug 10, 2015)

robbins.photo said:


> JustJazzie said:
> 
> 
> > baturn said:
> ...


How awesome are you?! Actually, it was bothering me, so I appreciate you taking the time to track down the information for me. Does he take referrals? :giggle: we homeschool and my ss does love bugs! ;-)

Perhaps I shall keep on flashing after all.


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## robbins.photo (Aug 10, 2015)

JustJazzie said:


> How awesome are you?! Actually, it was bothering me, so I appreciate you taking the time to track down the information for me. Does he take referrals? :giggle: we homeschool and my ss does love bugs! ;-)
> 
> Perhaps I shall keep on flashing after all.



Lol.. well I'll ask on the referral thing.. I think he'll get a good chuckle about that one.  Nick is a very nice guy, problem is he speaks science rather than English.  So what I posted above was actually a 45 minute dissertation on octets, retina's, a long winded discussion on vibrational acuity.. blah blah blah.  What I posted was the non-long winded English version.

So ya,your spider is going to be fine.  I probably came closer to going blind listening to Nick explain it than your spider did by being exposed to the flash.. lol.

So, no worries.


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## JustJazzie (Aug 10, 2015)

robbins.photo said:


> JustJazzie said:
> 
> 
> > How awesome are you?! Actually, it was bothering me, so I appreciate you taking the time to track down the information for me. Does he take referrals? :giggle: we homeschool and my ss does love bugs! ;-)
> ...


I'm pretty sure my 8 year old would appreciate that! Haha, and don't worry I was mostly joking. I've been actively avoiding a unit study on bugs since I found an old tuna can filled with dirt and "pet worms" living in his bedroom....


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## annamaria (Aug 22, 2015)

Pretty neat shot Jazzie


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## Donde (Aug 22, 2015)

Nice catch. Their ability to match their surroundings is amazing.


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