My Current Mantids

[MandellaMandy123]

Hi everyone! Here are some photos of the two mantids I currently have. I caught Arrow a few days ago and I just caught Thistle today. They are both male Stagmomantis limbata nymphs.

Arrow:

And here is a photo of Thistle, who likes to move around a lot and is hard to photograph:

I've been on the lookout for mantids in the backyard and if I find any more I'll post pictures. Also I'm hoping to get some ghosts soon.

~Wolfie

 

[sally]

Great photos, Lovely mantids

 

[ScienceGirl]

How do you do the backgrounds? It doesn't look like a green-screen...

 

[Jinx]

Beautiful pictures! I really like the green of the mantis against the bright colors.

 

[agent A]

I really have to give u praise for capturing the signature blue lip of the limbata :clap:

 

[ScienceGirl]

I really have to give u praise for capturing the signature blue lip of the limbata :clap:

Yes! I just noticed that blue! It's so distinct in your pictures, WolfPuppy!

 

[MandellaMandy123]

How I take and edit my photos:

I use two pieces of colored cardstock for the backgrounds of my photos. I put one sheet on the floor and the other sheet against the wall or a piece of furniture. I have a Canon EOS Rebel T3i and for most of my photos I use my Canon Ultrasonic macro lens. I think it's called Canon Macro Lens EF 100mm. That's what is says on the lens. Anyway, I usually use the built-in flash along with my Joby Gorillatorch Flare125 light. This is what my setup usually looks like:

Sorry for the poor image quality. I took this with my point-and-shoot. The color is really weird. So my photos generally end up looking like this:

Then I edit the photo using Adobe Photoshop Elements 10. First, I increase the saturation by 20. Then I go to Color Variations and increase green and blue once. Then I raise the contrast by about 20 and lower the brightness by around 10. Here's the finished result:

Mantis update: Thistle molted to Presubadult last night, but I haven't taken any pictures yet. Maybe later. Also, I ordered some Ghosts (thanks, Rebecca!). Hopefully I'll get them next week! Right now I'm cleaning out all of my terrariums. Oh, and I love the blue lip on the limbata. It adds color and makes the mantis look nice on a blue background too.

~Wolfie

 

[MandellaMandy123]

Here is Thistle, who is now Presubadult. The lump on top of his eye is where he must have knocked into something while molting. My Deirdre had that last year.

~Wolfie

 

[Jinx]

Pretty boy!

Thanks for telling us about your set-up. I'm trying to get into this whole picture taking/video making thing, but I've never been very artistic/creative. Trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible and then my own personality into it. I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures!

 

[MandellaMandy123]

Thistle is hanging out on the speaker of my computer as I'm sorting photos. I decided to snap a photo even though my macro lens wasn't on. Quality isn't super great.

~Wolfie

 

[MandellaMandy123]

Hi everyone! I've gotten a lot of new mantises since my last post, and I've released both Arrow and Thistle.

Here are some photos I took of Arrow before I released him:

Here's the last photo I took of Thistle before I released him.

Here is Kian, my S. limbata: I just lost him on an indoor plant. Hopefully he'll turn up again!

 

[MandellaMandy123]

Here is my little I. oratoria, Klaretta. I love her to pieces - she's so cute!

Here is my new male I. oratoria, Deaghlan (pronounced DECK-lin). ScienceGirl saw the one I did in black and white and gave me the idea to do one in Sepia-tone, too!

 

[MandellaMandy123]

This is my male M. religiosa nymph, Kazimir. In one of the pictures, he has a fly flying over his head and he didn't even see it! :lol:

And last, but not least, the latest arrival to my mantis family - a female I. oratoria named Eibhleann (pronounced AVE-linn). I caught her on a mantis hunt last night.

Hope you enjoy the photos!

~Wolfie

 

[sally]

That is a great shot with the fly! Kazimir is stunning

 

[ScienceGirl]

Beautiful shots! I love Klaretta's eyes - they're so big, so they make her look adorable and child-like.

Kazimir's headshot is also stunning.

 

[fercho ing]

great shots buddy

 

[Jinx]

Those are great! I agree with ScienceGirl.

Wish I could find wild mantids around here. Being in the city, I have a hard enough time finding any bugs at all (other than massive armies of ants). I miss living in the swamp