Alright - I had a whole post typed up and scheduled for today, but by special request, I've swapped it out for a later date in favor of this post.

Saturday morning, I was sitting at the computer reading my comics while Anya was out in the yard refilling the birdfeeders. Then she tapped on the window and told me to grab my camera and come outside.

As it turns out, there was a Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa) in her Uncle's garden which is just a couple doors down.

When I got there, it was tucked pretty far down in amongst some tall plants, and after a couple attempts to get a good angle, I saw this opportunity....

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/30th sec at f/8. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. RAW conversion in Adobe Camera Raw.

Why This Photo: Since the mantis was doing such a good job of keeping track of me as I moved around the garden to find a shot, but the talk plants were in the way, I saw this opportunity to frame the shot through the plants. The almost playful, peek-a-boo expression on the mantis was just a happy coincidence.

What Works: The playful look to the shot brings a kind of easy light-heartedness to what otherwise would just be another macro shot of an "ugly" (at least according to most people, but not me) bug. Creative framing using the thick leaves of the plants takes advantage of what was otherwise a problem situation. The bonus of the drop of water on his antenna is icing on the cake.

What Doesn't Work: The focus may be just a tad off or there could be a slight amount of camera shake (that even the IS wasn't able to eliminate), but it is incredibly minor as the fullsize version still shows some of the facets in the mantis' compound eyes. Also, the bright leaves in the front (right and middle) are somewhat distracting.

Tune in tomorrow as I have a rather different set of photos to share, but stuff I really think will be cool.

Thanks for viewing.

- Bill