Apatura iris.

[Jan van Holten]

It has been quite a while since I posted an image on this forum. So here is a highlight of the past year in a search for caterpillars.
The caterpillar of this species, a butterfly, is rarely found in the wild. To be honest, a friend of mine found it. My job is to take the photos and that division of labor has existed for years. I do most of the searching in the dark with a UV lamp and that also yields many species. For the sake of completeness, I am creating a photographic database of caterpillars. This one made me very happy.
Weather conditions were not super. A lot of wind and brigth sunlight, so it was a bit of a struggle. Poland, Europe - may 2024.
Canon R3. ISO 3200, F10 - 1/180 sec - Fill in Flash

• Capture One Macintosh

 

[Jonathan Ashton]

I appreciate not easy to get ideal images in windy conditions. The head is well shown but the OOF feet and edge of the leaf do detract a little. Colours exposure etc look good. It's worth taking some lightweight clamps with you when you go out for a macro session - plenty on Amazon - just reminded myself I need some more!

 

[Jan van Holten]

I appreciate not easy to get ideal images in windy conditions. The head is well shown but the OOF feet and edge of the leaf do detract a little. Colours exposure etc look good. It's worth taking some lightweight clamps with you when you go out for a macro session - plenty on Amazon - just reminded myself I need some more!

Hi. Because the caterpillar had bent its head to the side, the body would not have been sharp anyway. I also used a clamp to place the twig. You have to be very careful with most caterpillars. The vibrations and shocks that this causes cause many caterpillars to drop themselves and then it is immediately finished, so to speak.
I actually like the attention to be drawn to the funny head of this animal. I also like firmly out-of-focus elements in the background. They "fill" the image a bit more or can even form patterns. I prefer my images not to be too "bare".