Blue Mantis
Oct, 2019Views
1319
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Awards
Winner in Mantis Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Macro Monsters Photo Contest
Celebrity Award
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
Top Choice
Virtuoso
All Star
Superior Skill
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Genius
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Orange County, California.Time
It was around 8 am in spring.Lighting
At 8 am, the sun was still low. It was slightly overcast. With the main light behind me, the mantis was evenly lit but flat. So I shot into the sun. Light from the cloud cover, like an overhead light box, filled in from above. Exposure was set to the sunny side so I could capture the shadows on the face, body, arms, and legs without over-exposing the top of the mantis to give it a three-dimensional look.Equipment
I used a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with an 100-400 L II lens at 400 mm.Inspiration
I don’t see praying mantis in my area much. Rarity and opportunity are what make photography fun. They were gone within a few days.Editing
I wanted the subject to stand out a little more than what I had captured out-of-camera; I gave it a tiny increase in contrast.In my camera bag
For wildlife, I use the 7D Mark II and an 100-400 lens; for everything else, I take a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a 24-105 and either a 16-35 or 70-200. I travel light - Canon EOS Ms.Feedback
If one is serious about shooting macro, carry a macro lens. I have been a photographer well over 50 years. Besides the first few years, I own macro lenses continuously. Nowadays I don’t plan for macro photography and I am getting too old for dead weight. The day I shot this photo was one of those “not plan for macro” day. It was not fun to try to shoot a living object two feet in front of an 100-400 mm zoom lens at 400 mm and 1/100 sec., even with a lens that could focus close and with modern vibration technology. I got lucky because with the 400 mm compression coupled to a shallow depth of field I was able to capture, at the right size, the patch of yellow behind the praying mantis that I like very much. It was another yellow flower. I normally use a standard focal length macro lens for inanimate objects and a mid-telephoto macro lens for animals. Keep clicking!
