Walking Stick

[Nancy Bell]

After viewing Jonathan's stick-like caterpillar, I thought I would post another insect that uses the stick camouflage technique. This is a small, delicate walking stick photographed in central Arkansas in October. The extreme thinness of the insect made it difficult to focus and the long delicate legs were a challenge to even get parts in focus. Still it was very interesting to observe this unusual insect.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 100 f2.8 macro lens, 1/250, f5.6, ISO 800, macro twin flast @ -2/3 compensation, tripod.

[MiroslavMaric]

Hi Nancy. Like the color tone of BG. The main body of insect is well placed in DOF. Yes, this is good example of camouflage technique. If mine I would try to add some canvas at the top. TFS.

Cheers,
Miro

[John Robinson]

Cute looking twig nancy !!. I agree with a bit more on top but no big deal. Its an awkward subject at the best of times.
John

[Jonathan Ashton]

Well done I can appreciate how tricky this would have been. Not sure of this is full frame or crop? If cropped I would try to include a little more of the lower leg, and for the same reason the top. I like your lighting - twin flash 2 guns mounted on brackets or ring flash?

[Nancy Bell]

Full frame, I just didn't see that I missed those tiny, thin tips of the leg & antennae when I took the shot. This walking stick was always moving, at least rocking and testing with legs and antennae. Flash is 2 small guns mounted on a bracket that fits over the lens. I use small diffusers over the lights. I love this system. Later I found the walking stick hopelessly tangled up in a spiders web. If I was a spider I would prefer a plump, juicy bug :S3:!

[Allen Sparks]

Hi Nancy, I agree with the constructive comments above but still a fine capture of a very difficult subject.

Allen

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Nancy. First, a bit of biology. :S3: While this certainly looks like a stick insect, it is actually a thread legged assassin bug. Much cooler than a stick insect - IMO. The beak and the mantis-like spiked forelegs give it away. (I've seen a few of these in Belize.) As you found out, these are difficult to photograph because the legs are so spread out and the body is so thin. If you back off enough to get the legs in focus, you can barely see the details of the body. I think that this is a nice compromise in that you got the body, forelegs, and one antenna within your DOF and have the body large enough in the frame that we can see some detail. Well done!

[Nancy Bell]

Thanks so MUCH, Steve for the accurate ID. I had no idea there was such a critter. I did see the beak, etc. but since I have never see a Walking Stick up close I made a much too rapid an ID.