Walking Stick - from Costa Rica

[Steve Maxson]

I found this lichen-mimicking Walking Stick (Order Phasmatodea) near an outside light at night in Costa Rica. The body is about 2 inches long. In a natural setting on a tree trunk or branch, this insect would be virtually invisible. I photographed it in my portable light tent (illustrated in the following pane). 5D II, 100 mm macro, 1/200, f/16, ISO 100, MT24-EX macro twin flash, hand held. All comments are welcome and appreciated.

[Steve Maxson]

Some folks were interested in seeing the portable light tent I used in Costa Rica. This is simple and rather crude, but it works rather well. I bolted 3 wooden 12 inch rulers together to make a frame. The translucent plastic is simply taped onto the rulers (the green strips were used to support aquarium dividers in a former life and just add a little stiffness to the bottom edge of the plastic. Sheets of printer paper are used for the bottom and back of the setup. The MT24-EX flash heads are fired downward through the translucent plastic - if you want a shadow under your subject, the flashes should be positioned near the top of the tent - if you don't want a shadow, position the flashes more to the sides.

Pros: lightweight -easy to set up and take down - everything fits into a mailing tube for easy packing in your luggage.

Cons: unless you devise a more sophisticated method, someone (a patient spouse or friend) has to hold the flash heads while you are photographing.

[Patrick Sparkman]

I Like the image. Very interesting bug. Is that lichen growing on it, or does it grow "faux" lichen? It seems to be ever so slightly turned away, but I know insects tend to crawl around and not cooperate. Thanks for sharing your portable light box setup. It is so simple. What kind of translucent material are you using?

[Steve Maxson]

I Like the image. Very interesting bug. Is that lichen growing on it, or does it grow "faux" lichen? It seems to be ever so slightly turned away, but I know insects tend to crawl around and not cooperate. Thanks for sharing your portable light box setup. It is so simple. What kind of translucent material are you using?

Thanks for the comments, Patrick. What looks like lichens is actually part of this insect's body. Its camouflage adaptations are really quite remarkable. I got the plastic from a photographer friend who has a whole roll of it - unfortunately, I don't know the brand or the source. Any sort of whitish translucent plastic should work. My new, revised version is a light box with a frame constructed of 1/2 inch diameter PVC tubing. White printer paper is taped on the sides and used on the bottom. A piece of foam core or white-faced cardboard is used for the top. This too can be quickly assembled/disassembled for travel situations. Lighting will be identical to what I use in this light box setup: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/91878-Lady-Beetle-and-lightbox-setup -and thus I won't need another person to hold the flashes.:S3:

[Marina Scarr]

Wow, Steve, you have an interesting rig here. I like it a lot and I like the crop/comp you chose for this one. The green camo on the bug really stands out.

[jack williamson]

This is so detailed the bug looks like it is on the table in front of me. Thanks for the light tent image and instructions.

Jack

[Julie Kenward]

Another amazing insect image, Steve! I love your portable set up...thanks so much for sharing it!

[Ken Childs]

Wow Steve, the bug is amazing as is your capture of it! I think shooting this in a studio setup is the only way you can photograph something like this and have it show up. Put this in a natural setup and it would disappear!

TFS the portable setup. Nothing better than simple and portable!