Idolomantis Portrait

I took this quick shot while the mantis was in her enclosure. Very

near full frame...tiny crop off the right side and bottom.

Would have been better, with focus sharp on the eye, I think

Thanks for taking the time, Don.  I don't understand what you mean, though.  You can see the details of the compound eye.  Is that not sharp enough?  Or do you wish the area behind and in front of the eye wasn't so sharp?  Maybe you were looking at it from the rating queue where the picture is probably smaller, compressed, and looks bad.

Wonderful detail and colours...macro at its best, in my opinion.  And the way you have framed this shot makes it nothing less than a mantis "head and shoulders" portrait.  I love it.

One thing that really strikes me about these mantis photos is their projection of malevolence.  The viewer knows the mantis is going to kill something and eat it...because that's what a mantis does.

The other thing that strikes me about the mantis is its design.  Even if someone like me doesn't know what all the parts do, there's no denying that each of those parts has a purpose that's unique to the mantis.

You are doing a great job capturing all the technical details while at the same time allowing the viewer's imagination to run free.  And the lighting is superb.

Thanks for that, Jim.  Yeah, I think mantises are definitely pretty cool, especially for an insect.:)  And this species is the coolest of any of them.