Making My Bed
A grasshopper nymph making its bed in the "poppy shell" left inside the flower when it shed it.
A grasshopper nymph making its bed in the "poppy shell" left inside the flower when it shed it.
Read less
Read less
Feb, 2015Views
1206
Likes
Awards
Featured
Contest Finalist in Red And Green Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Love it
Top Ranks
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Categories
Platinum
MariaW
June 24, 2015
Thank you, yes, quite unusal colours for my country, where colours are usually quite muted.
terryacregan-leidigh
April 13, 2018
Detail is quite good. Such an unusual shot, however, very interesting!
Ultimate
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This is taken in my garden. There is a flowerbed with poppies and I love watching and photographing them as their fluffy buds slowly unfold, they shed their "shell", then start to fray at the edges, grow almost transparent, and finally there is only the seed vessel left. Sometimes the small grasshopper nymphs jump on their petals, but this was the first time I saw one that actually seemed to have made its bed in the flower. It reminded me of a fairy tale somehow. (Thumbelina?)Time
This was taken at 11.02 PM. I just happened to be passing, stopped to admire the flowers, as I always do, caught this sight and ran in to fetch my camera, hoping the grasshopper would stay a little longer. Which it did, although it fairly quickly got fed up with my nosy camera and slowly moved out of its "bed" and onto a petal, where it waited for me to leave.Lighting
The sun was shining, which made it a bit tricky, as it tends to make the shadows too dark, but I was in hurry to catch the scene, so I did not have time to make any elaborate arrangements. I just shot it with 100 ISO.Equipment
My trusty Sony A 300, can't remember what lens, but I guess I used a close-up filter. I did not use a tripod.Inspiration
It was just chance. It was just the moment.Editing
I did not do much post-processing. I might have tweaked it a little in Photoshop, but I was quite happy with it the way it was.In my camera bag
I have just switched from Sony A 300 to Sony SLT A77V (and love it). My favourite lens is my 75-300 mm zoom. I also usually carry some close-up filters, and sometimes a monopod or a tripod, although I prefer to shoot with a hand-held camera if at all possible.Feedback
Always keep your eyes peeled and a camera close at hand. Look at the world in pictures and stories.
