Grabbed a quick break today and drove out in the showers to try and enter both competitions with the same picture
I knew of this tree that might just do it.
But the storms passed so I made do with just the wood.


fish eye, 3 exposures hastily cobbled together!

I'll push this to the top cos I would like to know the answer also please.

Thanks folks,
I'm sure it's not to everyone's taste but I am really taken by it. I think it would really benefit from being printed as large as possible, I reckon it would stand going to A3 and would be a real talking point in the right place.

Found myself stuck in a car park this morning waiting for my daughter to wake up, so I got myself down to very small creature level and hunted amongst the moss for something nice to take a picture of.
I could hardly operate the controls (stop down metering )as the camera was pressed into the ground to get the right angle, I had to shade the lens and ignore the icy wet ground soaking my jeans (sniff), but I'm glad I did, there's a beautiful world down there, available to anyone - no fancy safari or even baby sitters needed. Hoorah!

The usual SMC50mm M 1:7 at F8/30th and 65mm extension tubes. plus sunlight. Uncropped.
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Welcome Steve.
So does that mean you are unable to enter this week's competition? it's about storms, you should be well placed to capture some bad boys out there

- AH you joke my friend, but you would be surprised how quickly that little dude ooched out of shot!
As this appears to have touched you lot, here are a few more - mostly near misses
All of these are just cropped a little and resized (USM to compensate) nothing more.

I liked the way his antenna looked like the dew


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wanted to catch him coming thru this gap but he was too fast !! you can see why I was screaming for more DOF!


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AH yes, I was wondering what variety it was, I knew I could rely on someone here correctly identifying the creature.
Devil's own job keeping him down for the picture, what you can't see is I've PP'd out the tethers.

Thanks for you comments folks.

thanks guys.
Dan, that was indeed the point I was pondering. I was hoping there would be some clever glass inside a macro lens which would make the DOF better. Looks like I just need tonnes of light.

saw this little fellow on the path so I put him up on the wall on some dewy moss. and fired away with the 50mm 1:7 and extension tubes.
I really need a decent macro lens! the depth of field even at f16 was just not up to the job. He was about the size of my little finger nail... cute!
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Loki, below, loves the sound of my camera bag zips - pretty much always means going out.
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