Ok - we'll get back to the crab spider soon, I promise. But last night I went out to see about photographing the crab spider again, and happened to find this little guy...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/250 sec at f/11. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in auto mode and wireless control. Image Stabilization on. ISO 160. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

Why This Photo: I've never seen a katydid nymph like this before, and I decided to spend some time with it to see what kind of good shots I could come up with. When I saw it climbing on this blade of grass, I figured a good pose would come of it, and when I saw it get into the classic tree-frog pose, I fired off a shot. I think it's a keeper...

What Works: First, the pose is the biggest thing here... I literally waited and worked with this katydid nymph for 35 minutes to get this shot. I also moved from position to position - starting on a peony flower, down to some hosta leaves, and finally down to the grass. To get the shot, I was laying on the ground so I could get an eye-level view of the katydid nymph. The focus is sharp, and the depth of field has almost the whole katydid nymph in clarity (except for the ends of the antennae).

What Doesn't Work: The bright blade of grass running the opposite angle in the background is somewhat distracting, and the white patch on the katydid nymph's face below its eye is a little over-powering (though that is how it was, so there isn't much I could do about it).

I think the main point from this is that I was rewarded by following some of those "rules" to photography. I worked with the subject to make sure I took multiple shots with multiple angles to provide myself with a higher possibility of scoring a nice photo. I also got down to eye level - even if it meant laying in the grass - so that the shot was engaging rather than flat. Finally I observed my subject and waited for that decisive moment to present itself.

I have more shots of this little guy, and I'll be sharing them and the crab spider shots next week. Thanks for stopping by.

- Bill