Orchid Male Mantis In Front Of Red Rose

This Orchid Male Mantis is found in the Rain Forests of Malaysia, Indonesia and Sumatra. They need to be in a humid warm environment to survive. As... more

by Leslie Crotty

Title

Orchid Male Mantis In Front Of Red Rose

Artist

Leslie Crotty

Medium

Photograph

Description

This Orchid Male Mantis is found in the Rain Forests of Malaysia, Indonesia and Sumatra. They need to be in a humid warm environment to survive. As first instar hatchlings orchid mantises resemble ants with black bodies and red legs. It matures earlier than the female and and only grows to 1" to 11/4" in length, quite a difference in size. The male is also different in appearance, it has white wings and and a brownish necklace around the lower part of its neck area, and is able to fly. For such a small mantis it can take down prey half its size. This mantis is very difficult to photograph, they are small in stature and can fly. I had lost two of them in my studio but found them three days later. I was so lucky to have found them. They required constant monitoring or else they're gone, that quick! I photographed this portrait #3 of 9 in my photo studio. I placed him on a small cactus plant in front of a fresh red rose which you can see in the background of the image which is softly out of focus! I used a 140 macro lens with two extension tubes, #1 and #2 mounted on my RZ Pro 2 Mamiya medium format camera bringing me approximately two inches from the mantis filling up the whole frame of the view finder. Depth of Field was very shallow only 1/2" to 3/4" deep. I had to have him positioned in a way where I could focus sharply on his eyes, face, claws, and some of his body! This was one of the results I was happy with! This species of mantis was the most difficult one and took the most time to photograph. The only advice I can give someone if they choose to photograph this little guy is "never take your eyes off him and walk backwards to your viewfinder, good luck!

Uploaded

October 23rd, 2014