Mammoth Wasp

Normally I try to make the critters that I photograph look cute and cuddly. But I'm not sure that's possible when shooting a portrait of a Mammoth Wasp (Megascolia maculata), the largest wasp in Europe. This female was foraging for nectar in my Sunflowers so I injected Agave nectar into one of them to give her a reason to let me get close. She lays her eggs on European rhinoceros beetle larva, and we have them in my yard.

 

Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F14, 1/250, ISO 200) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (over 1x) + a diffused MT-26EX RT (E-TTL metering). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI, Sharpen AI, and Clarity in that order.

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Uploaded on June 17, 2020
Taken on June 17, 2020