Grizzled Mantis

[Maureen Allen]

This guy showed up in my driveway last night. I scooped him up and brought him to the light box.

Nikon D3s, 105mm f/2.8, ISO 400, 1/200, f/22, 3 flashes in light box

[Nick Palmieri]

Great capture. I like the high key . You captured a lot of detail in this guy. TFS

[Allen Sparks]

Hi Maureen, nice capture with fine details as Nick said. I like the angle and inclusion of the full antennae. I wonder if the fly could be darkened a bit to add a bit more contrast with the high key but only if the natural color of the fly is not compromised. Just a thought.
Allen

[John Storjohann]

I like the title..he does appear to be a little worse for the wear! Nice details...effective use of a white background...I'd be tempted to take a bit off the top, a bit off the bottom, and extend the image on the LHS a bit...creating something of a pano while leaving room for the mantis to move into...just a thought...

[Maureen Allen]

Thanks for the comments.

John, this is a Florida Bark Mantis, also known as a Grizzled Mantis or, if you prefer, Gonatista grisea.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Maureen. Nice lighting, good comp, and nice sharpness - as usual. I haven't seen this species before - but then I live in MN where we have no mantises. The concern I have with the image is the pose - the mantis looks like it's on its last legs - kind of sprawled out and not healthy and alert (if this was the look you were going for - no problem ). Other than that, this is nicely done!

[Maureen Allen]

Hi Steve - Thanks for the comments. You're right, I'm afraid he was on his last legs. I think the poor guy was a victim of much too much rain. After I found him, I tried to dry him out a bit but he didn't recover well. It's pretty rare to see these around here, so I decided I'd photograph him anyhow. I did release him later that evening in a protected spot, but I don't imagine he had good times waiting for him.