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Buggin’ me


Last friday, I took a break from photographing summer flowers to plant a newly acquired pot of Shasta Daisies. Heading off to the shed, I plopped the pot down onto the grass so I could grab my gardening gloves and, of course, a shovel.

When I returned just a few seconds later, the most unusual flying insect was already feasting on the luscious, sunny-side up blooms. As I was about to swat it away, I caught a glimpse of its cartoon-ish looking ‘eyes’ and knew instantly, a primo photo-op was literally, staring me in the face! 😉

“Hungry Eyes” (Thread-waisted Wasp on Shasta Daisy ‘Becky’) Nikon D300, VR 105mm F/2.8G, F/6.3, 1/400s, ISO 160

Getting the right angle to capture that adorable mug proved trickier than I’d thought (and the wasp was way more interested in eating than posing for the camera) but in the end, I got the shot and, a happy addition to my garden! 🙂

37 Comments

  1. Tracy, this is Fantastic! I’m staring at him/it, trying to figure out what he’s thinking. Or maybe he’s just looking at his reflection in your lens, wondering if it’s another bug.

    • Thanks so much, Barbara! 🙂

      S/he was really paying me no mind and was only in this position for a millisecond. Thank goodness I continued to click away hoping beyond hope that I could get him/her straight on!

  2. Superb shot, Tracy! 🙂

  3. You can see where the inspiration for helicopter bodies comes from when you look at this guy! Excellent grab of a photo opportunity… well done 🙂

    • Oh, yes! Indeed! Well, that and perhaps for Felix the Cat? 😉

      Thanks, Kiwi! 🙂

  4. Really cool shot, Tracy. All that detail is amazing. 🙂

  5. Super shot! I LOVE Becky daisies. 🙂

    • Thanks, Becky!

      Ha! Of course you do! How nice to have such a pretty bloom named after you! 😀

  6. Super shot Tracy. Love the black background allowing your subject to stand out.

    • Many thanks, Carol! 🙂

      This was in such super-bright sunshine that the background couldn’t help but go completely black! No complaints here! 😉

  7. Incredible, M.P!
    Prime proof of the craftsmanship we were discussing earlier…
    some things still prove mastership of media!
    🙂

    • Thank you, Sig! You are very kind. I doubt I will ever reach “mastership of media” status but I do try! 🙂

  8. Great face-on view – love the bright whites and the low angle on flower and wasp.

    • Thank you, Tom! I can now see your fascination with insects! 🙂

  9. Fantastic shot!!!! 🙂

  10. Awesome shot and great detail!

  11. It IS a great shot. 😉 love the lighting on the subject and the dark background. Very nice.

  12. That sure is one freaky looking bug eyed critter.. but such a cool shot.. 🙂

    • Agreed, Brian! I guess that is what it takes to get my attention! 😉

      Thanks! 🙂

  13. Perfect job Tracy!

  14. Thanks for sharing this great image. What is reallly fun is when you are about to snap the shot the bee moves to another part of the flower or to another flower (-:

  15. Really nice eye to eye view Tracy. And the crisp white petals look so nice against the dark background. It’s a very appealing image.

  16. Hi Tracy. Incredible how you managed to shoot this “nice” fellow! I’ve been away from blog and comments for some weeks shooting larger animals in Tanzania – and now I’m back trying to get updated a little in my normal world in little Denmark. And organize some of the many photos 😉 !

    • Nice to see you, Truels! Thanks for stopping by and commenting so nicely! 🙂

      WOW – Tanzania! You get around! I look forward to your animal photos! Welcome home! 🙂

  17. S T U N N I N G ❤

  18. Amazing capture! Insects do have a cartoon-like look to them. I discovered that this summer while photographing some dragonflies. I never really appreciated bugs until I picked up a camera. Although, I’ll never appreciate Mosquitos!

    • Thank you so much, Soonie2! 🙂

      Aren’t they so funny? I didn’t used to photograph insects much but many are just so interesting. I have a few images that I really like on this blog of spiders and insects. They usually bombard their way into a photograph that I’m already taking or I see them and just can’t resist. I agree, tho – no mosquitos!!! 😉


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