sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

I went into the woods today and I noticed a large number of robins on the ground around where I was going. I remembered that robins are carnivorous which meant that there must be insects and worms in the area so I watched where they were feeding. Sure enough, I found several insects including this grub worm.

As I continue to practice with all the nuances of macro photography gear and settings, lighting and specimen staging, I will post other views as well as images of the other critters that I came across today.

Thanks in advance to all those who view and all comments, recommendations and critique are greatly appreciated for they help me learn.

(Download)

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

A couple more views. Not all insects are as distinctive as the horned beetle. This may be a scarab grub. Any one of many "June bugs".
Robin's are omnivorous. Although they eat worms and insects, many berries, such as bittersweet, holly, and others are important in late winter and early spring when other food is scarce. After a hard winter one year I saw a flock of Robins strip every berry from a large holly in minutes. Very bitter, last resource food.
Bill

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Bill, you are on-target again. There are little red berries of some sort littering the ground in the woods where I go. Not much larger than an oversized BB. I'm sure that they are an attractant to the birds and squirrels that I see there.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Excellent image.

George in McKinney Loc: McKinney, Texas

Great image of an ugly grub. Did you use focus stacking to accomplish the great detail and depth?

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

docshark Loc: Millersville, PA

A great mug shot. Excellent DOF and lighting.
-Doc

Plieku69 Loc: The Gopher State, south end

Love this image, your best yet.
Ken

tomcat

I have no critique at all because this is an excellent image. Would you care to share how you got this? What lens did you use? I have a 4 year old grandson that loves beetles and this spring, I'd like to venture out into the world of macro photography. It will be a break from photographing school kids......(although some times they can be grubby)

SueScott Loc: Hammondsville, Ohio

A face only its mother could love!

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

It's hard for me to imagine a hobby that would be more entertaining and educational than macro photography for a grandfather and grandson to do together. I share all of my images with mine and I treasure every conversation we have about them. Mine are grown adults with lives of their own living away but this helps keep us together.

Hunting for insects in the field among the plants and flowers is a wonderment in itself. Learning to identify the endless number of insects, their habitat, life-cycle and how they interface with the all of nature around them will be a fabulous bonding experience for you and your grandson.

Here's a link that best describes what I used for the images I have recently posted: https://www.closeuphotography.com/seventeen-dollar-plan-4x-objective/

I use "Focus Stacking" which I can best describe as making a highly detailed and focused image of a loaf of bread by taking a picture of each slice and putting all of the pictures together to make the complete loaf. Here's an Open Source no cost, no advertisement software that assembles multiple images (slices of bread) into a single image (the loaf). It's called CombineZP and you can download it here: https://combinezm.en.lo4d.com/

I truly wish that I had found my passion when my children and grandchildren were young so please, enjoy what you can when you can with them.

tomcat

Thanks so much for sharing this. You've given me a great Christmas present. I treasure the opportunities to spend with him every day. He loves to pick them up and look at them and one of his goals is to catch a bumblebee. Supposedly there is a kind that does not sting, but I haven't research that yet.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Male bees are stingless, and for some species the males are pretty common. The trick is to identify them. Many have larger compound eyes or longer antennae. They can be less furry as well, since they don't need the hairs to gather pollen for a nest. It all depends on the species.