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Praying Mantis
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Praying Mantis

by Dennis Plank

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted September 10, 201290 views5 comments
Not sure whether this is more about the flowers or the Mantis, but it started out about the Mantis. I caught this one earlier in the day and cooled it off a little to get it to pose for me long enough for some shots in the evening. Initially, I put it in full sun, but it didn't want to stay there, so this is what I ended up with. The flowers were sold as "Sunset Flowers" for several years, but suddenly when my wife ordered them the seeds were different, so she's been growing them from their own seed ever since (they are most prolific).

7D, 300mm f4 ISL, tripod, f18, 1/50, iso 640. Originally a horizontal frame, I cropped from the left to this aspect. Processed in CS5. Taken at 7:16 pm on September 3rd.

Your comments are always appreciated.

Thanks for looking,

Comments

5 comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on September 11, 2012 at 7:49 AM
Beautiful side lighting on the pretty flowers, and I like the colorful, soft, contrasting bg. Nice pose as well, Dennis. The square comp looks fine to me. Overall, a well crafted and pleasing image. :toast:
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on September 11, 2012 at 4:25 PM
As a viewer, I'm not sure if it's about the flowers or the Mantis either, but it is definitely enjoyable. The Mantis pose is nice and the color in the background really makes for a warm feeling.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Albert Darmo on September 11, 2012 at 10:16 PM
Hi Dennis :wavey: Excellent lighting and color here :eek: The pose, flowers and the Mantis are all perfectly done :toast:
Albert Darmo
Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Jones on September 12, 2012 at 10:07 PM
Excellent composition. I like the way the mantis is sort of peeking out of the shadow, as if it were lurking there, ready to spring on an unsuspecting victim.
Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments
Comment posted by Stephen Porter on September 22, 2012 at 3:02 PM
Hi Dennis :)
I love the sun and shade in this image. The details in the Mantis are great. This is one bug, out of all the photos I have taken, that I have not been able to find. Some day :)

thanks for sharing.
Registered on August 27, 2012, 56 Posts, 69 Comments