Zombie Cicada HDR

We've been seeing quite a few half cicadas lately.  Presumably a predator chomps off the abdomen and the head, wings and four legs keep going for a while.  Susan found this guy afixed to a cushion.  Final processing step was the Polaroid Transfer tool in Nik Color Efex Pro

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/11 @ 1/60s, Flash WB, RAW
Lighting:	Ring Flash
Support:	Handheld
Location:	My Back Yard
Dates:	Capture - June 13, 2011, Processed - June 15, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Color Efex Pro

Drowning Cicada #1 & #2

Recently, a common event in our back yard is a cicada plowing into our swimming pool, buzzing for a bit, then drowning.  Tonight I had a macro lens and ring flash on hand to record this guy's last chirp.  In this shot, the his wings are beating hard and fast are causing quite a bit of turbulence.  This picture is a little soft, but, in my defense, I was leaning over the edge of the pool in the dark with $3,000 of camera gear, manually focusing a 105mm Micro-Nikkor racked all the way out.

And finally, the cicada makes one more effort to take off before being claimed by the pool skimmer.  Both shots were processed to simulate the recently departed Kodachrome 64 Professional.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 D
Exposure:	ISO 200, f/11 @ 1/60s, Flash WB, RAW
Lighting:	Ring Flash
Support:	Handheld
Location:	Grand Center Artists' Studios
Dates:	Capture - June 13, 2011, Processed - June 13, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Color Efex Pro

Cicadas are coming!

The 13-year Cicada returns in 2011 and it's going to be noisy. This photo was made using 2 lens-mounted SB-200 flash units and a translucent Lastolite Tri-Grip to soften the direct sunlight.

Nikon D3, AF Micro Nikkor 200mm f/4, f/11 at 1/10 sec, ISO 200