finally had two hours to kill today, it's been a mess just trying to get more than 40 minutes of free time any given day. One nice thing is that the less time I have to shoot, the more I think about each shot before the shutter is released - that can't be a bad thing. Here are some things I literally found in the backyard. All of these are pretty close to full frame, cropped to 3:2 and not much more.

this fly was really small, the large ones weren't cooperative.

http://www.sushigaijin.com/images/photos/2007%20local/fly1%20small.jpg

http://www.sushigaijin.com/images/photos/2007%20local/fly2%20small.jpg

this is a small katydid I think, it would have fit on my shutter button and still had a bit of wiggle room.

http://www.sushigaijin.com/images/photos/2007%20local/katydid1%20small.jpg

http://www.sushigaijin.com/images/photos/2007%20local/katydid2%20small.jpg

and a red admiral, just to remind me that despite the colors and patterns, butterflies are just bugs too.

http://www.sushigaijin.com/images/photos/2007%20local/red%20admiral%201%20small.jpg

http://www.sushigaijin.com/images/photos/2007%20local/red%20admiral%202%20small.jpg

Awesome Work Erik Like them all :)

Great stuff here, Erik!

Love the 2nd fly shot. Did you by chance take a shot of the katydid shadow from beneath the leaf? I've been trying to get a good sillouette bug-on-leaf shot myself. Hope you got it :thumbsup:

Thanks for sharing.

thanks guys!

didn't get the silhouette shot - I was already lying in the dirt, using my head as a monopod. I considered moving him, but the leaves that would be high enough are pretty hardened off and opaque. another day!!

... I was already lying in the dirt, using my head as a monopod...

LOL! Been there, done that! :p :) :D

I know - hard to find just the right critter in just the right place in just the right time. OK, another time then :)

Nice shots. I love lying down to get shots, people are always like "WTF?". :thumbsup:

Wonderful shots, I really like the 4th one.