The remains of a female Horseshoe crab. Horseshoe crabs are not really crabs, but Horseshoe crabs are more closely related to spiders, ticks and scorpions than they are to true crabs. The species in the US is near endangered, mostly because of use in the medical field. The HSC blood has a unique ability to clot and block off bacteria on medical instruments which come in contact with the human body (needles, scalpels, etc.). Over 600K Horseshoe crabs annually are caught and milked for up to 30% of their blood, then released back into the wild. Up to 30% of those die after release.
The FDA mandates the use of HSC blood. It is very expensive, almost $15K per quart. No synthetic has yet been made or found.
The Horseshoe Crab is ancient, over 400 million years in existence. It has truly been called a “living fossil” !
I chose B/W for this photo as there was very little color anyway, If you look closely, you will see some camera shake, due to my jumping the gun right after back surgery! What do you think of the b/w choice?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
I felt that B/W helped to bring into stark presentation the fact of life and death in an ocean/beach habitat. What do you think?
Any pertinent technical details:
Camera Info: Nikon D500, HH
Lens: VR 300mm f/4E + 1.4x TC
Focal Length: 420mm
Focus Mode: AF-C
AF-Area Mode: Dynamic, 25 points
VR: ON
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/200s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: 0EV
Metering: Spot
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 1000
54% of full frame
LR/PS CC 2019, Topaz DeNoise, Silver Efex Pro 2, Camera Raw filter, TK sharpen for web @ 45%
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
First of all, I would like to say that I am sorry to hear that you had to undergo back surgery. I have back troubles myself, but nothing surgery will fix, so I live with it. I pray you recover fully and able to do what you like to do - photography. Second, thanks so much for the info on the Horseshoe Crab, that isn’t a crab! I never knew that they weren’t, and I sure didn’t know that they were being used for medical purposes, and that they are dwindling in number. I like the B&W version, actually. Maybe because I got started on B&W. I like the nice low profile (which after back surgery probably wasn’t easy for you).
Phil, the BW conversion fits perfectly here. The image is stark and about death, so the BW mimics this.
My only nit might be the centering - might be more effective if lots more room on the left. .
Hope you’re healing well -
Sandy
Phil, the starkness of your presentation tells the story well. The oof surf in the background adds nicely to that story. Because of the story, I think the centered subject works well. This looks like an image where you could spend a lot of time exploring comps. Best wishes for your recovery.
Phil: Superbly conceived, composed and presented and the story is terrific. Congrats on a fine image and hoping your back heals swiftly and completely. >=))>
I think it is good not only to show nature’s beauty but also nature’s vulnerability and suffering. Black and white serves this purpose very well in this case. It very much looks like a carelessly thrown away dispensable object. You may consider to crop out a sliver of the oof foreground below. A very sad image.
What do you think of the b/w choice?