What’s Bugging Me Today

There’s always nature.

With the news of the closing of PhotoShelter coming in today, I’m late downloading and blogging these images. I’ve spent most of the day looking for a new home for stock images, something that’s not quite as crowded and more user-friendly than Alamy.

These images might have ended up in PhotoShelter if they could have hung on. They promised so much, and offered so much, and I guess they really thought they could make their business model work … for a while. Which still leaves me feeling like the idea — and the photographers — didn’t get a fair shot.

Anyway, I did get to spend some time outdoors this morning. Taking photos of bugs is a lot like taking photos of kids. You have to watch closely, get down on the ground, and chase them a lot. They never stay in one place. While these images may not have a place to be licensed right now, it was still fun, and good practice, to take them.

First up is one of the guys crowding my backyard right now. As you walk through the grass, with every step one of these little grasshoppers springs up and seeks safety in the ivy. That’s where I found this one, and eased in on him so as not to spook him into hopping away before I could get my shot.

This is a tiny, tiny fly … so much so that I was afraid I’d never get a picture. I couldn’t resist those lovely iridescent wings, though.

I waited and waited, and every time I got close this fly would, well, fly. But something about these flowers was irresistible to him, and he finally agreed to pose for a picture.

This moth also thought there was good eatin’ on these flowers. The plant is some sort of succulent, and my friend who is an avid gardener can never remember what it is called. The different clumps of flowers seem to be a a variety of different colors, from delicate pink to almost purple.

Last, but not least, my tormentor. I chased this one nearly the whole time I was outside. I crawled around on the ground, lay on the concrete, and still couldn’t get close enough before it flew away. Then, just as I was about to give up, it landed on the clothesline right next to me. Which goes to show something. Something promising I think. Something that I sincerely hope continues to play out in all aspects of my life.