St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

> http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest.jsp?pcnum=68 <

And the winners of Insects with 239 entries and 509 votes are...

1st place = Chris with 8.98 points and (15) votes (new)
2nd place = gym with 5.99 points and (22) votes (returning)
3rd place = Coolcameragirl with 5.89 points and (18) votes (new)
4th place = melequus with 5.49 points and (12) votes (new)

Congratulations everyone - especially those who added a little more by telling us about their photos!!!

Running Totals - Underlined equals multiple time winners
1st = Skew, Eric LS, colnago, Ugly Jake, 369Kae, scruffyherbert, wbaiken2, LovePhotography330, Kerryanne, LovePhotography330, Audie Thornburg, Gryffon, wowbmw, christy123, JoeS, pinkycat, Zulu inc, robartphoto, mooseeyes, BLeete, Govt_Lacky, jazz7, lorindam, debsic, imagebyTerri, wISOr, Chris
2nd = Bridges, wbgrice, Severums, colie, R'laine, Fuzzycoach, jasarah, simplesimon, LovePhotography330, JJPhoto, LovePhotography330, abby, dickerst, Delaware Man, mopinia, abby, amyinsparta, kcimato, ocbeyer, Rex-Pix, Isshe, Vicki57, hgsp, O hi O, Old Redeye, scruffyherbert, gym
3rd = nanaval, pinkycat, behindthecamera, tk, brownky, wowbmw, LovePhotography330, Severums, Lazy Old Coot, krus54114, abby, jrstjean, Gifted One, rsd381, susanmary, kerfree, amyinsparta, Sundance, Shaughnessy, Panacea Particulars, LiamRowan, pledwith, DebAnn, hgsp, NormPR, planepics, Coolcameragirl
4th= TNmike, Flyboy001, O hi O, Canoe50d, plessner, fotkaman, Bret, bob44044, Shane T, jkaye65, Severums, jazz7, Edmojo, LolaPL, johnhowardkemper, ophart, Lorima, auntmary, RoyM, jazz7, legion3, John Howard, grubnide, CHG_CANON, wilikioti, plessner, melequus

HINT: Click (ratings) to see all the entries at once
> http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/photo_contest_ratings.jsp?pcnum=68 <

NEW: Please note the change to voting below
> http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-109092-1.html <

They all coexist 3 different species in harmony


Male jumping spider - genus Lyssomanes exhibiting mating display


Tiny Jumping Spider


Hercules Beetle in flight

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

To help this weeks WPC 1328 - Insects ANALYSIS volunteer please visit http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-134598-1.html#2273750

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

Steve, why is it that spiders placed 2nd, 3rd, 7th and 9th in the insect contest?

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Public vote.

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

Non complying images weren't removed?

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

An interview with Chris

1) How long have you been into photography and what got you started?
years. Saw so many beautiful things around me and wanted to save them

2) Have you had any formal training and what kind of photography do you do most?
No formal training, I read a little but most of my photography comes from my gut, if I don't feel the subject the picture doesn't come out. I take mostly nature, scenery, fun things. Usually not people

3) What inspired you to take your winning shot?
Colors and the idea that none of the species had a problem sharing

4) What equipment did you use and was there any special setup?
Canon 40D 28-135 lens

5) Would you change anything if you could do it again?
Probably taken the shot like I did so I had it and then go get a ladder or step stool to get a better angle

6) If you couldn't do photography what else would you do?
Good question, I do a lot of things but nothing gives me the enjoyment that actually getting a shot that I see in my mind's eye

7) Is there somewhere we can see more of your work?
occasional pictures on UHH

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

An interview with

1) How long have you been into photography and what got you started?
I got started seriously in the '70's after I won a photo contest at work. Soon I had a B&W darkroom and was competing in the local camera club contests in Lansing, Michigan. I gave up the hobby for many years to raise my son and work at a demanding job.
When I retired last year I rewarded myself with an African safari trip. I bought a decent camera and lenses for this trip and was hooked once again.

2) Have you had any formal training and what kind of photography do you do most?
I took a photography class in the '70's at the local community college. Since I retired, I read all I can online, in books, attend educational weekends and belong to 6 local photo clubs/MeetUps. .
Nature photography is my favorite but I love to make images of anything out of the ordinary.

3) What inspired you to take your winning shot?
I love bugs and shot this lovely beetle during a visit to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.

4) What equipment did you use and was there any special setup?
I used Lightroom to enhance the shot I took using my Sony A77.

5) Would you change anything if you could do it again?
It could have been sharper if I'd used a tripod, I believe.

6) If you couldn't do photography what else would you do?
I'd be a bored retiree if I couldn't do photography. I guess I would work in clay, another hobby I had for years.

7) Is there somewhere we can see more of your work?
Some of my photos are posted on my facebook page (Melissa Theil). I have galleries or images done on photo shoots in many of the local clubs to which I belong (Carolinas Nature Photography Association, Cary Photographic Artists, Raleigh Outdoor Photographers MeetUp, Triangle Photgraphers MeetUp, Granpaparrazi at the Cary Senior Center). I have some of my African Safari photos on http://www.simplesite.com/meltheil.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

An interview with gym

Thanks so much. I'm very pleased that one of my photos has been so chosen

1) How long have you been into photography and what got you started?
I’ve been interested in photography for several decades. My first serious camera was a 35mm Minolta 101 while in graduate school. That was ‘back in the day’ when dark room manipulations were the final steps, instead of Photoshop.

2) Have you had any formal training and what kind of photography do you do most?
Only over the last 2 years have I begun to take photography classes at a local continuing education center. My primary interest has been macro photography. I am a retired entomologist and used to have a regular column on nature subjects in the Atlanta Journal. Because each column was accompanied by a photograph, I wanted to improve the quality of these images.
Since joining this forum, I have also developed an interest in other photographic genres - wildlife, street photography (which in some ways could be a subgroup of ‘wildlife’ (include smiley face here), travel, and portraits. I still have a LOT to learn about each of these, but that’s part of the fun.

3) What inspired you to take your winning shot?
I was looking for some new subject matter for the macro board on uglyhedgehog and found this little guy crawling around in some of my shrubbery, presumably looking for a girlfriend. He was very accommodating as a ‘poser’, and allowed me to take a number of photos before he crawled back into the bush.

4) What equipment did you use and was there any special setup?
Most of my macro photography is done with a Canon 7D and the Canon 100mm macro lens. I often attach a Raynox 250 in order to increase magnification. I use a speedlite flash with a homemade diffuser, with settings in the area of 1/200 sec, f/16, and ISO 160-320. The flash is always set on manual, with a light intensity of anywhere from 1/32 to 1/4 power.
You can see my setup (as well as the setup of other macro enthusiasts) here:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-32754-4.html#1849709

5) Would you change anything if you could do it again?
I really like this particular photo. I would have liked to get a few more views from the top to have a little better view of the entire body. I have some from this perspective, but - of course - always want something better.

6) If you couldn't do photography what else would you do?
I love to write, and with my column, I am able to combine both pleasures.

7) Is there somewhere we can see more of your work?
The macro forum here has a number of outstanding contributors and it is my great pleasure to be able to share some of my work among theirs.

Thanks again.
Jim

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

An interview with Coolcameragirl

1) How long have you been into photography and what got you started?
I dabbled in photography since I was 16 but really got into it in 2002 when I bought my first digital camera.

2) Have you had any formal training and what kind of photography do you do most?
I have been a member of a local camera club for the past 5 years where I learned much. Also, I received a lot of help in macro from the True Macro Photography Forum here on the hog.

3) What inspired you to take your winning shot?

4) What equipment did you use and was there any special setup?
My camera is a Canon 5D, MkII and I used a 100mm macro lens with Kenko extenders and a Canon ringflash.

5) Would you change anything if you could do it again?

6) If you couldn't do photography what else would you do?

7) Is there somewhere we can see more of your work?
You can see more of my work on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/60455347@N06/

fotkaman Loc: Earth

spiders are considered insect: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/insect

fotkaman Loc: Earth

Congratulations to the winners, awesome images, indeed! :thumbup:

riverlass Loc: northern California

Congratulations to all. These are really wonderful images.

Bozsik Loc: Orangevale, California

Biologically they are not. You can give the common name of "apple" to an "orange", but it doesn't make it an apple. You can call them whatever you want, but it sets the standard for your judging in the future. Don't expect people to submit something with limitations unless they are going to be followed.

The winning images are all great though.

Bozsik Loc: Orangevale, California

That is what you get from a site called free dictionary. Just proves my point.

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Then these are wrong too

Define Insect:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insect
1
a : any of numerous small invertebrate animals (as spiders or centipedes) that are more or less obviously segmented —not used technically
b : any of a class (Insecta) of arthropods (as bugs or bees) with well-defined head, thorax, and abdomen, only three pairs of legs, and typically one or two pairs of wings

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/insect
in·sect [in-sekt]
noun
1.
any animal of the class Insecta, comprising small, air-breathing arthropods having the body divided into three parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), and having three pairs of legs and usually two pairs of wings.
2.
any small arthropod, [/u]such as a spider, tick, or centipede, having a superficial, general similarity to the insects.