As a photographer of very small things, a lot of my favorites for any year involve macro and so here is one that I just love. Loosely known as a White-lipped snail, they are found all over Wisconsin and I have photographed them before, but they were either moving around focused on eating or panicked and pulled back into their shells. This one was frozen like this. Really. This is a 15-image stack that I had time to not only put together with bracketing, but had time to get some side light in with an LED panel. I thought it was dead.
It wasn’t, but it hardly moved and no, it wasn’t terribly cold being August. I’d never seen anything like it and asked a couple of mycologists whether the coral fungus might have some weird property that affects them. Not to anyone’s knowledge. Most coral fungi are edible and quite harmless. I have no idea why this one was frozen like this, but I just love the strange pose, the texture and detail I got and it just makes me smile. IRL the shell is less than 1 inch long.
Specific Feedback Requested
Just any impressions and thoughts. I know it’s a strange one.
Technical Details
Tripod
Bracketing session of maybe a couple dozen shots of which I used 15
Lr for most of the work for images going into Zerene - white balance, texture and clarity and a bit of a crop.
Zerene for the stack which was a DMap with PMax details used in retouching.
Thanks @Chris_Baird, @Merv & @Dean_Salman - glad you appreciate the tiny slimy guys, too. I’ve never had such a terrific shot present itself like this and was happy I could make the most of it.
Kris, great shot. It is interesting that the little guy posed for you for so long. Something seems to have gotten its attention. Another animal defense is to freeze in place. Regardless of why it stayed still this is very nicely captured. I think the etchings on the shell really add to the balance of detail.
It was definitely an odd experience, @marlindmills, but one I will remember for a long time even though it was with the least of creatures. Their shells are so individual, too, have never seen two quite the same.
Wow! This is a great macro image, Kristen! Who would have thought that a close-up of a snail would be so striking! You put in a lot of work to get this and it all paid off. The detail and colors are amazing and you composed it nicely. I love the patterns and textures in the shell and the little scraps of dirt on top are a bonus for me. That snail must have wanted its portrait pretty badly to have sat for all the setup and 15 exposures I can see why this is a favorite. Well done!
Thanks @Gary_Minish - it was definitely a situation I’ve never come across before or since. I worked a bit frantically, but thankfully I know my gear and how to get the best out of them and so could do this reasonably fast.
This is a really cute snail, Kris! I can see why it’s a favorite. Also I like how you were able to get everything even the I guess fungi in front of him in sharp focus. Was that because of the stacking? And you do that with your camera? He looks like he might be enjoying your side light on him!
Thanks @Vanessa_Hill - it is because of the stacking which was a miracle to pull off with a living subject, even one this slow. If it hadn’t been absolutely still I wouldn’t have been able to do it. But I used 15 or so shots, individually taken with slightly different focus points. The camera does it automatically as part of the focus bracketing function, something very new to me and one that I’ve been having fun with since I bought a macro lens that will let me use it. The image blending itself is done in another processing program, like I need another one!
Wow. I must have missed this one. What an interesting story, and of course a beautiful capture. I tend to gravitate to close up or macro photography myself, but it never fails that I realize I need to slow down and look closer.
Thanks @karlag - glad you liked it. Yeah you do sometimes have to go slow. I don’t so much hike as saunter. Saunter with camera! Sometimes if there’s a nice log or rock I’ll stop and sit for a while and just soak it in. I find gorgeous mushrooms this way, especially if it’s a little way off trail. This was just next to the trail and on top of a log so I picked it out as soon as I came to it. Definitely a highlight of my year even if it is just a snail.
I can see why this is a favorite. Well done! 
