The pseudo pupils of the Large Brown Mantid made this alien-like insect appear like it was looking directly at me. No doubt the mantis had detected my approach but the raised triangular head with the large eyes was exactly the shot I was hoping for. The mantis had been resting on a black garden stake when I went searching for macro subjects to try out my recently purchased Raynox DCR 250 Super Macro Lens, which simply clips onto the front of my Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. I was thrilled when I came across the praying mantis because it was such a spectacular macro subject, especially when it lifted its head. After a while, it seemed to sense that the camera was not a threat so it returned to a relatively normal position even though its large eyes were still slightly tilted toward my lens. I enjoyed my time playing around with my new lens and I hope that you enjoy the photographs below.

More of this story is on my blog at https://bit.ly/macro_home_october

It was great getting out with the camera again, it had been too long. I also really enjoyed finding all the little creatures to photograph, the wet spring had not kept the numbers down too much. I also enjoyed the Raynox lens because it allowed me to get closer shots of subjects and to photograph some of the smaller creatures in the garden. On the downside the lens reduced my depth of field but that is a common challenge in macro photography. It also played havoc with auto focus but I was starting to get the hang of it towards the end. The Raynox lens definitely has a permanent home in my camera bag now because it gave me a closer perspective on the creatures I encountered. It also gave me flexibility, because the lens allowed me to really zoom in on the head of the praying mantis but I did not need it for the whole of body shot. The mantis was the perfect way to trial the Raynox lens and a wonderful encounter for my time wandering around the garden.

Thanks for reading this post and thanks also for looking at my photos. I hope you come back again to read more about some of the wonderful natural things that the Australian Capital Territory has on offer. All the best until the next post.