Metamorphosis: Newly Eclosed Monarch
by indigo997

Comment by Simplicity:
beautiful macro...excellent color, very crisp and clear...fantastic! A 10

big flirt
by indigo997

Comment by indigo997:
I'm a little annoyed at all the "this isn't rest" comments and votes. An animal or bird sitting is at rest, but a bug isn't?
Mantids are very passive hunters that usually just sit still and wait for something to get close enough to grab. Other than moving some legs up and down, this one didn't move for about twenty minutes.
Shot at 1/5sec.
Maybe it's too bright and colorful to convey a restful feeling, but the bug definitely IS resting.

big flirt
by indigo997

Comment by jkupferer:
Nice detail with such a small subject. The neutral & blurred background make the subject pop out.

big flirt
by indigo997

Comment by xhoss:
great photo - but his one leg in the air give me the impression that he's moving - if he's not, it still looks that way. However, that said, I grew up working on a christmas tree farm as a kid, and I know for a fact that a praying mantis can sit very still for a very long time...so I will give the benfit of the doubt. I just hope that other people don't judge poorly for the same reason as my initial reaciton. I like the dof, and the framing - very good imo. the textured surface is nice...almost looks like a paper towel or something. nice. sharp and clear. nice work. 8.

big flirt
by indigo997

Comment by Gracechild7:
That is soooo adorable. good use of narrow dof. Great colours, composition.

big flirt
by indigo997

Comment by BobsterLobster:
Great shot, well cropped, nicely composed. I'm not a fan of your heavy frame though, this upsets the compositional delicacy and balance. Very effective reflection in the eyes, nice colours. 9

striped... but not toothpaste
by indigo997

Comment by magnetic9999:
yick!

striped... but not toothpaste
by indigo997

Comment by sher:
this was one of my favorites...beautiful and funny. good work, indi!

striped... but not toothpaste
by indigo997

Comment by indigo997:
I agree with all the critiques on this one and certainly didn't expect it to score so high.
I found this little guy in the yard on Sunday and saved him until evening to try some shots. By the time I was ready, he was acting pretty tired and just fell over when I tried putting him on the toothbrush. I only took a handfull of shots before deciding I should just put him back into the jar. Didn't have a chance to fix the lighting or try for better focus.
I left the jar on the porch so that he would have a chance to crawl out when he felt better. Two days later I went back and discovered why he had acted so sick. On the bottom of the jar was a chrysalis.
So now I have him hanging on a stick in my room. In a few more days we will hopefully have a butterfly!

striped... but not toothpaste
by indigo997

Comment by visitor:
Humorous - I would have liked to see a sharper overall image.