Mosquito larva at 2.6:1 macro ratio
A mosquito (Culex pipiens) larva photographed at a macro ratio of approximately 2.6:1 times life-size on the camera sensor. 2.6:1. I use a home constructed macro lens for higher macro ratio shots; composed of a 50mm f/2.8 EL Nikkor enlarger lens reversed onto a set of extension tubes. There is no auto coupling of the aperture ring, so that is manually set, in this case at f/11 and the shot was taken using available light (strong sunshine), with -1 stop exposure compensation at ISO 800. I had done my best to clean up the little macro tank (actually some glass microscope slides joined using silicone sealant), but the water containing the larvae was full of detritus, much of which can be seen near the same very shallow plane of focus. The siphon tube allowing the larva to breathe can be see extending from the back of it towards the surface of the water where it pokes out a bit like a snorkel. The larva has a greenish tinge, perhaps owing to it's exclusively vegetarian diet (algae) at this stage in it's lifecycle.
Mosquito larva at 2.6:1 macro ratio
A mosquito (Culex pipiens) larva photographed at a macro ratio of approximately 2.6:1 times life-size on the camera sensor. 2.6:1. I use a home constructed macro lens for higher macro ratio shots; composed of a 50mm f/2.8 EL Nikkor enlarger lens reversed onto a set of extension tubes. There is no auto coupling of the aperture ring, so that is manually set, in this case at f/11 and the shot was taken using available light (strong sunshine), with -1 stop exposure compensation at ISO 800. I had done my best to clean up the little macro tank (actually some glass microscope slides joined using silicone sealant), but the water containing the larvae was full of detritus, much of which can be seen near the same very shallow plane of focus. The siphon tube allowing the larva to breathe can be see extending from the back of it towards the surface of the water where it pokes out a bit like a snorkel. The larva has a greenish tinge, perhaps owing to it's exclusively vegetarian diet (algae) at this stage in it's lifecycle.