Tree Frog

Sometimes the small and insignificant creatures in Costa Rica can be the most interesting to photograph. I found this little tree frog in my backyard and decided to photograph it. I positioned it gently on the leaf, fitted a very sharp macro lens and a remote flash and began firing away. The light was positioned to the left which gives the frog shape and produces a nice spectral highlight in the eyes.

Biblical Plague Locust

For the locust, the approach was considerably different. I find these insects highly unpleasant as they have barbs on the back of their legs that they use as weapons, and they are about the size of a magic marker. They are lousy pilots, and every several years there is a mad plague of these things here and from any restaurant in town can be heard the shrieks of unlucky patrons who have had the misfortune of being the impromptu landing pad of this enormous bug.

I carefully grabbed the insect by the knees and placed it on a under-lit product shooting table with the light source directly above and below. Lighting was full power to achieve a substantial depth of field keeping as much of the furious insect in focus as possible.

Afterwards, it was released unharmed to terrorize at will.