The weather may be cooling, but things are still hopping at my local marshland park.
As I was walking through one of the back meadows last Friday, grasshoppers were hopping every which way as I approached them. Most of them settled back down into the grass and I couldn’t get a good look at them, much less a photo. Suddenly one grasshopper jumped up onto a plant and posed for a moment. I used my popup flash because I was shooting directly into the sun, and I was able to capture a good deal of detail of the insect’s body.
Shortly thereafter a katydid did the same, but chose to perch at a titled angle. I had time for only a single shot and did not use flash, so you can see some of the light shining through from behind (though I did have to lighten the shadows in post-processing). I especially like the way in which the angles of the insect’s long antennae mirror the shapes of the branches of the plant. I am not sure of the specific identification of this insect, but suspect that it’s a katydid vice a grasshopper because of the extremely long antennae.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Reblogged this on Dionysus Amber.
Interesting little critters full of detail, texture and color. Nice shots.
Great Shots Mike. The light gleaming off of the grasshopper makes it look as if it were wearing plated armor.
Another good shot made by a dedicated photographer that is willing to crawl around in the marsh. Excellent camera work Mike!
You really captured great detail, these little creatures are not very cooperative…Well done.
You are absolutely right, Charlie. The first one was relatively cooperative, but I had time for only one shot of the second one and he jumped away.
I like the backlighting in these photos. Very effective.
These were really quick reaction shots and I didn’t have a chance to think too much about the settings, though I did have the presence of mind to use my popup flash with the grasshopper.
You have very speedy reactions. Great photos
Sometimes people ask me if I am improving in my photo taking and it’s still a bit inconsistent. One thing I know that has gotten better, however, is my ability to take a shot when I see something. I try to be always aware of the settings of my camera so that I am ready to shoot the subjects I might encounter (and return them to neutral settings if I have had to take shots in extremely bright or low light conditions).