Preying for You
The striking eyes of a praying mantis from the forests of Central Africa.
The striking eyes of a praying mantis from the forests of Central Africa.
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Jul, 2016Views
371
Likes
Awards
Winner in Praying Mantis Posing Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Superior Skill
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rank week 1Categories
iluv2shoot
December 04, 2016
Congratulations Chris! I chose your praying mantis photograph as the winner of my challenge :)
Platinum
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this image of a praying mantis in the little town of Bayanga in the Central African Republic.Time
I shot this around 10 in the morning.Lighting
The natural light here was nearly perfect as she crawled around this screened porch looking for prey.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon Powershot SX230, handheld, no flash.Inspiration
I'm always on the lookout for interesting insects, especially when they can be shot up close to fill the frame. Praying mantises are quite spectacular and capable of seeming a bit scary! She was crawling up the screen door so I shot this looking directly down on her.Editing
This was only shot as a jpeg, which allows for little effective post-processing. In this case I made a few of my slight usual adjustments- tone, WB, and increased the clarity, vibrance and saturation a tad just to bring her more to life.In my camera bag
I normally mostly shoot large wildlife so typically carry just my 5D MkIII and one telephoto zoom lens, either Canon 100-400 L or Tamron 150-600. Most days I prefer to be light but sometimes carry my old 5D as back-up. When I'm out to shoot wildlife I don't even bother to carry a wide angle lens as my pocket Canon Powershot G9 (which replaced this SX230) and even my Lumia phone can both shoot raw files. I do sometimes use my Canon EF 24-70 L lens for landscapes and close-ups and love my Slik tripod, but rarely have the opportunity to use it. I also toy with a circular polarizer sometimes but otherwise avoid filters.Feedback
Always be on the lookout for any wonderful little creatures and try to get close without disturbing them. Don't be limited bu our usual point of few and instead put your camera on whatever surface they might be crawling on to get THEIR eye level portrait.
