Preying Mantis

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Sony A700~Sony 100mmF2.8 Macro~ ISO 500~1/60sec~F/18~10-2-2010~Houston, Tx~CS5

I bought a macro lens a few days ago and find that taking pictures of small insects that are moving, at close range, is much more difficult than I assumed. Maintaing a proper DOF is difficult as well.
I'm not sure about the crop with this mantis, and would like the usual comment and critique. regards~Bill

[Paul Lagasi]

Bill.....I also started Insect macro this year, it does have its challenges but the results can be spectacular....this image of the Mantis (never seen one in the wild) is really nice, sharp, good DOF and good results dealing with harsh lighting...I would have like to see the whole bug though...nice work

[Cheryl Flory]

either the whole bug, or crop even tighter to focus on the head and front legs. great sharpness in the eyes. I like the contrasting blue in the left background, though it does look a bit like a vehicle. :)

[Ken Childs]

Hey Bill, these are one of my favorite subjects! As you mentioned, DOF is always a problem when shooting an adult but you did well with this one. The midday light is harsh so you may have had better results some flash. This would reduce the shadows and would have illuminated those arms a bit better. The BG (car?) is a bit distracting so next time you're out, be aware of what's behind the subject. Once I find a subject like this, I'll usually spend a lot of time looking for an angle with a clean BG. I agree with Cheryl that since part of this one is already cutoff, cropping down to just the head and arms would be the way to go.

When you find something cool like this, it's fine to take a quick shot to get a record of it but then start thinking about what you could do to get the best out of it. Sometimes a Mantis can be prodded into a better position or if it doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon, add your own BG. :)

[Dave Mills]

Hi Bill, good advice above. Like any other subject backrounds are important also leaving some space in front of the subject. When shooting new subject matter it takes awhile to condition yourself to it.
Finally I might take out the small bright area on top...

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Bill. There are good comments above to consider. The first things that struck me about your image were the harsh shadows, the man-made item in the background, and the bright area at the top of the frame - items covered above. If you're anything like me, when you first start out in macro you're thrilled to get a sharp image of your subject. Only later does your technique and eye evolve to pay more attention to all the other things that make up a great image (I'm still evolving in that respect as I think we all are). :) You have good sharpness and DOF here so next time try paying more attention to some of those other features as well. The more you do it the easier it gets. :)

[WIlliam Maroldo]

Appeciate the suggestions. Steve; you are indeed correct that I was concentrating on DOF and sharpness. Actually a mantis is an easy subject, especially compared with the bugs, bees, wasps, and flys I've attempted so far. They just won't remain motionless!! As an avian photographer that has been here at BPN quite a while, I am more or less aware of what makes up a great image, and there doesn't seem to be much difference between avian and macro. Now technique is quite a bit different, and primarily the extraordinary DOF control necessary seems to be the main difference, and simply getting the subject in focus is much more difficult than with birds. regards~Bil