I have always been a fan of the praying mantis. Whenever I am out on walks during the summer I keep my eye open for the small predator. As a way to get my kids to develop an interest in them, I often pay them a quarter for each one they find on family outings.

Last year I bought a macro lens for my cameras but have not had much an opportunity to use it on insects due to a bad habit of working too much. These shots are of a few small mantises on my backdoor window and screen taken the day after my son Hayden was born. I was pressed for time so was unable to set up my tripod to get really nice shots… but they are neat nonetheless.