praying mantis - critique/tips please??

[jess anderson]

Hello I'm new to photography and I'm trying to "collect" advice about how to improve my technique. I started out on film, but when my pictures came back my subject would always be framed too far to the right. After eye tests I discovered that I have a problem with my left eye which meant what I saw through the viewfinder was very different to where things actually were. So I had to go digital so I have a screen to look at!!
Here's a photo I took of a praying mantis when I moved to Italy this summer. Any advice on framing, colour adjustment etc would be much appreciated.

 

[IncoherentFool]

Looks like the flash is a little too intense. I don't know what kind of camera you have but you might be able to adjust the flash compensation. When you're that close you don't need so much flash.

Also, the mantis is turned away from you. It would be better if it was facing the camera. When photographing any living thing, you should always get the eyes in the shot and in focus.

Finally, the most interesting part of the mantis is the head and the claws. Focus your attention on that.

 

[flying_kiwifruit]

Yeah I agree with all that is said above.

Also what type of camera have you got?

 

[theVirginian]

Except for one point, I like the pose. It doesn't have the canned look most bug shots have. If you could have attracted its attention so it turned its head towards you, you would have nailed it. Preying Mantises have a "what are YOU lookin' at?" expression I find very interesting.

 

[Under_His_Shadow]

Yes, the mantis and the twig are quite overexposed (too much light on the subject). Assuming it was taken in bright sunlight, you might have tried having someone hold up something to shade the subject, or if your camera has manual controls, stop it down to a smaller aperture, and/or a faster shutter speed to allow less light into the camera's sensor. Better yet would have been to take the shot either earlier or later in the day or when a cloud was passing over, etc., none of which probably were practical options in this case.

The composition is pretty good but, as someone mentioned, might be improved by moving around to where his face was in the shot more.