8th Place


25-FEB-2009	Melbob

Cicadas produce a loud distinctive pulsing buzz from dawn to dusk
Only the male cicada produces this 'song'
Info here: http://bacs-s02.bacs.uq.edu.au/sib/ins-info/mec.htm

Canon EOS 5D ,Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
8s f/8.0 at 70.0mm iso100 hide exif

other sizes: small medium original auto

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alexeig		03-Mar-2009 22:00
Great idea. Unfamiliar device :-)

ctfchallenge		27-Feb-2009 14:13
There you go again... so totally clever and talented, Bob! I like this! ~Lydia

jnconradie		27-Feb-2009 07:01
Thanks for the explanations, Bob. I ever expected and PS for a second... really thought you had somehow persuaded this "beastie" to sit there for a while! :-) Thanks and regards Nico

Canon DSLR Challenge		27-Feb-2009 03:31
Thanks for explaining the details, Bob. This just shows that there's a lot of skill and know-how behind an excellent photo like this. I wouldn't have thought about putting the cicada on glass. That's a good idea that I'll remember next time I'm doing a bug shot. -dtallakson

Canon DSLR Challenge		27-Feb-2009 03:02
Wow, Bob, this is beyond impressive. Thanks for the detailed story of how you did it, though I must admit that it makes me feel inadequate! I love the oscillating needle suggesting the oh-so-familiar thrumming of the cicada. Alastair

Canon DSLR Challenge		27-Feb-2009 02:02
Actually, at the risk of being a little verbose.... ;-) I wandered down to my local park with a hand full of boiled lollies (aka: sweets) (as one does... ;-) ) and heard these beasties going 'hammer and tong' and I thought.... hmmmmm...! that might work? So, I ate the lollies and set about a program to ... 'capture that bug'... a photo of which .. would have made a great entry for a future challenge. Numerous failures and almost another fractured neck later yielded a result.... this poor unsuspecting fellow hell bent on attracting a fair damsel... but alas.... snatched from the jaws of courtship by this monstrous photog cleverly disguised as a nature loving sapien erectus. In the studio (cleverly disguised as a computer room cum junk room) photographic manipulations began in earnest. My latest friend photographed on a sheet of glass to produce appropriate reflections then application of a suitable audio signal of 0.775 Volts RMS over an 8 Ohm load produced a zero DB reading on the calibrated VU meter. (... for the technically minded) But alas, this signal needed to be pulsed so that the needle would oscillate rather then just sit there like a 'stale bottle of ketchup'? Then a little judicial photography followed by a little judicial PS and here we are? Thanks for taking the time to comment Sharon, Pops, angioman, Nico and dtallakson. Makes it a lot more fun.

Canon DSLR Challenge		26-Feb-2009 21:37
Good one Bob. They are strange creatures. This one looks almost metallic. Adding the the volume gauge was very, very clever! -dtallakson

jnconradie		26-Feb-2009 21:05
Super work, Mr Melbob, Sir! How did you get this chap to pose so nicely? And I agree: the sound is acutely characteristic. Regards Nico

Canon DSLR Challenge		26-Feb-2009 13:55
Interesting composition Melbob! Wonderful insect - all of ours are still underground as larvae, and won't be climbing out for a few months. -angioman

Guest		26-Feb-2009 12:59
I've been expecting to see pictures of crickets but this is even better.

elips		26-Feb-2009 04:30
Cool! Beautifully done, Bob! Great light, colors and concept! ~Sharon