In my post about Bug Shot 2012, I mentioned that I took away two things that I suspected would be incredibly useful to me: how to control the brightness of my flash units and how I can improve the sharpness of my photos by keeping my aperture set in the “sweet spot” for my lens.  I have been practicing both of these new skills by photographing lots of things in my white box and I’ve been very happy with the results.  My favorite subject so far was a little snub nosed weevil I found wandering around my house.  It was really active and completely adorable.  These were my five favorite shots:

Side View

A classic field guide sort of shot!

Looking Shifty

Okay, okay.  I KNOW I shouldn’t anthropomorphize, especially as I study insect behaviors, but how can you look at that face and not think these things?  You know you did too.  Admit it.

Head On

It was coming right for me in this shot.  Check out that fantastic antenna on the right!  Wow, those are cool.  I thought this beetle was just a drab little weevil until I started photographing it and noticed all the colors and textures.  It was really quite beautiful!

Gimme a Kiss!

From this angle, this little guy looks so happy!  Again, I know it’s not really happy, or at least as we understand happiness (heck, we barely understand happiness in humans!), but how can you not think this beetle looks like it had a big ol’ smile on its face?  It’s like a little crunchy teddy bear!

And finally:

The Butt Shot

This seems like the perfect parting shot!  I honestly have no idea what this beetle other than it’s a weevil of some sort.  Anyone want to help out with an ID?

That’s all I’ve got this week as I’ve been very busy working on grants, upcoming programs, and preparing for this weekend’s big museum event: BugFest!!!  If you live anywhere near Raleigh, you don’t want to miss BugFest.  35,000 people attend each year, so it’s HUGE!  I am so very thrilled I get to be a part of it too.  I’m going to be a runner, so I’ll be darting all over the place most of the day, but I will be at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation table periodically throughout the day.  That’s the best place to look for me if you want to say hi.  BugFest includes activities, lots of hands on bug experiences, booths, vendors, educational materials, talks – pure insect awesomeness!  North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, downtown Raleigh, 9am-7pm Saturday.  Be there if you can! But if you can’t, I’ll tell you all about it on Monday.  :)

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