Here's Looking At You, Kid

[Norm Dulak]

D300 w/Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Micro vr lens, hand held
ISO 640; f/16, 1/250 sec.; MM uncompensated
Topaz DeNoise; Standard CS6 adjustments plus minor wing spot repair with content aware healing tool; Nik Color Efex Pro 4 Nature filter combi

Each fall, our Euonymus hedges become ideal places for praying mantises to lay their eggs. Here you see one in resplendent colors that accurately reflect what I saw. When I saw this mantis, I immediately thought of the movie, Casablanca; hence, my title.

[Carl Walker]

Hi Norm - Nice capture. I like how it camouflages so well here. Nicely detailed and sharp

[Jonathan Ashton]

Wow what a pose good focus great detail and sharp in the right places. I like the mantis where it is but I would also consider transferring it to different backgrounds - maybe you have?? I can't remember who said it in this forum but it went like "I want to capture nature not create it". I fully sympathise with this sentiment and I think it is a really good way to approach natural history photography.
Yes you can sense a "but" well sometimes a helping hand can make for a pleasing image even if it is not entirely natural. Horses for courses I would not pretend to present a manipulated image in a natural history competition.

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks Carl and Jon for the comments! For Jon, I hadn't thought of transferring this critter anywhere. That might be difficult, since its feet are placed at different levels in its complex, natural environment. Of course if I did that, I'd fess up!