My wife was restless last night, which meant that I got kicked awake twice and the second time, there was no getting back to sleep, so I have been up since around 5 in the morning. I think rather than getting up early, we should sleep more as we age, as there is nothing to do.
Well, there was plenty to do, but at that time, mowing the lawn wasn't an option. I don't have what it takes to mow all the lawn in one go, so I did half a couple nights ago and decided to do the rest this morning, before it got warm. Normally "getting warm" isn't much of an issue in Finland, but it is about 30 degrees Celsius today and I am currently unable to spend too much time in the heat, in the brightness or doing much physical activity.
Once it hit about 8am though and after being awake with my daughter for the hour and half before that, I headed out to get the grass done and it seems that I disturbed quite a few jumpy locals. I don't think I have ever seen so many crickets at one time and they were hopping mad all over the place. I was so worn out from the work that I couldn't be bothered trying to take any photos, but this little fella was sitting on the front steps several hours later, still pissed at having being moved on from wherever he he had been holed up in the morning.
I am not a bug person per se, but I do find the level of detail that nature has gone to in order to create such a diverse range of animals on this planet amazing. Bugs are made of all of these little awkward bits that if handed them as a Lego kit without instructions, even my brother @galenkp would have no inkling as to how it would go together. They are awkward and unintuitive, yet work extremely well.
This guy wasn't too shy, so I was able to get a few angles of him as he was sitting on the concrete, which gives it a nice separation from the background. Though I wasn't sure if I would get any photos at all, as when I saw him I didn't have my camera with me and I first showed my daughter how far the little thing could jump using a twig to lightly touch his back leg, propelling him hundreds of body lengths to about a meter away.
It was then I decided to grab the camera from inside and see if he was still waiting around and while he was, I got a little too close with my very first shot and spooked him, causing him to jump another meter or so, right to the edge of the concrete and only half a jump away from the grass and inevitable freedom from the lens. With a little more care, I was able to get pretty close and grab these shots.
For those that are interested, these are shot on an Olympus EM-1 MKIII using a 60mm prime 2.8 Olympus macro lens. I have cropped them in Lightroom mobile on my phone and added just a touch of vibrancy to bring out the green of the body, as it was a little washed out in the originals. I don't like editing these kinds of photos too much and try to recreate them as I saw the scene. Of course, these days the camera does some of the post work while taking the picture too.
It was nice to have the camera in my hand again and I think that while I still can't drive and can't get out too far or for too long, I might do some wanders around the yard and neighborhood to see if there is anything interesting to capture. I definitely need to add more "personal stock" to my collection for posts, so I may also see what other kinds of images I can build to complement my text, as it all adds to the capital of my content.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
You got some pretty good shots! It was one nervous little cricket with your camera around 😆 did it leave the step eventually?
I pushed him toward the grass, as I felt he was too exposed to the many birds where he was.
Good idea, probably would have been easy pickings where it was.
Usually i hate these crickets noisy sounds at the night and i never dared to catch anyone of them. i liked you at least dared to click some beautiful picture and presented them well in your blog.
These ones aren't too noisy at night and as this is Finland, it is only for a few months of the year. In the winter - there are no bugs at all.
Yeah, nice text and really nice photos. The detail is perfect...I need to upgrade to get photos like this...our daughter loves bugs, so it would be a win - win.
I am looking forward to when my daughter is a little older and able to get more interested in photography, as I think she will enjoy it too. For kids, there is something about macro especially that draws them in and helps them build perspective. I guess it is because most of these details are not seen in normal life and once one knows they are there, a new world opens up, almost like another dimension all around us that we are aware of and can tap into when we choose.
Some great shots here with that Olympus mate.
I thought that you would say at 5am you got up, gtabbed your camera and went outside :)
Thankfully the grasshopper came to convince you to fetch it.
Text is essential for photos and you are right that it slows down the eyes.
If the forum is photograph only, perhaps not much text is needed, but in general, people want a story.
Yes, you are right as usual.
You sound nothing like my wife. ;D
Hahaha, like your two posts per day, you have stirred my photo text writing talent and in my last post today I followed your example by writing a 500+ word story. Now don't laugh, as it would be rude :)
Yaah ! I like it . But i don't like they destroy crops
They are never so bad here that is an issue AFAIK. The very cold winter stops a lot of the problems I think.
Yaah . You are right
The text is nice with the photos ;))
Thanks. A lot of people add a photo with a couple details, but I find it is lacking. a picture doesn't tell a thousand words these days, especially when people are scrolling through at lightspeed, so having some text slows down the mind and the eye, gives some space to think and to enjoy, not just consume without tasting :)
You captured him so well that he looks like he is posing lol
He was a little skittish and I thought he'd hop, but he was just striking a pose :)
Very lovely pictures of crickets! I'd probably jump as the cricket jumped. Not a fan of insects but I was bold enough to take one picture of a butterfly recently (since it did not move), lol.
Nice pic :)
I used to be frightened of bugs in Australia, but here they don't kill with a bite :D
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Excellent photos, I have always liked certain types of insects.
You have some great pics there :)