Bald-faced hornet

[Ecooper]

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I haven't posted here for ages! For that matter I haven't done much photography for ages. I didn't lose interest, life just got a bit too busy.

But spring is here and its time to break out the camera gear and start shooting some bugs. In the meantime I've been going through my files and came accross this picture of a bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) that I shot last summer. I love the face on this beast...and the way these wasps rest with their front legs off the ground.

Cheers,
EC
www.macrocritters.wordpress.com

Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5
Lens: Zuiko 60mm micro four thirds macro
Settings: manual exposure (F11 @ 1/160 sec)
Lighting: Olympus flash (I don't remember which one or the setting—oops!)
ISO: 200

 

[Duncan]

Great shot. The face almost looks like a skull. Pretty menacing.

 

[RT_Panther]

Phew! - Great work here!

 

[Zee]

Nice shot! I presume that is not a stacked image?

Great work, looking forward to my 60 macro....

Z...

 

[Ecooper]

Great shot. The face almost looks like a skull. Pretty menacing.

Funny, that's what I thought too...like it was wearing a skull as a mask.

Cheers,
EC
www.macrocritters.wordpress.com

 

[Ecooper]

Nice shot! I presume that is not a stacked image?

Great work, looking forward to my 60 macro....

Z...

Thanks! Nope, not stacked. I hardly ever stack images and only in the studio for high magnification. A couple of time a year I'll put out some salmon to attract blow flies to photograph. Wasps always show up too--the yellow jackets start feeding on the salmon, but the bald-faced hornets seem mainly interested in catching flies (which they seem very bad at). That was how I photographed this critter. It was the day after I put out salmon and the fish was long gone. But the smell was still attracting flies, and the flies attracted this hornet. They don't sit still long so you need to focus and compose quickly!

Cheers,
EC
www.macrocritters.wordpress.com