When asked what category of photography I prefer (such as landscapes, nature, portrait, etc.), I often say, “I just shoot whatever catches my eye.” This is a prime example.

I was climbing up and down a ladder, taking storm windows off my house, when something caught my eye.  It was a little flash of green. I paused my work to get a better look.

There is a propane tank next to my house that rests on cement blocks. On the corner of one of those blocks was this little green bug – no longer than the width of your thumbnail. It was frantically skittering over the concrete, but staying in one general area. It was such a beautiful, iridescent, green – made even more spectacular by it’s dance in the bright sunlight. I couldn’t just ignore it. I went to get my camera. (Contrary to what some might think, I don’t have my camera hanging around my neck every moment of the day.)

I didn’t have time to fool around. The way the bug was moving, I was concerned he’d slip off into the grass and never be seen again.  My camera had a long, 300 mm lens on it – the kind I use to get close-ups of distant objects like a lighthouse or the moon. (With that lens, I think I can see Alaska from my house.)  No time to change to a shorter lens, so I grabbed it and dashed back out.

The bug was still there, but still erratic. I tried getting a ground-level shot, but it’s movements made focusing impossible.  I decided to shoot it from above, where it’s side to side movements wouldn’t change the distance to my lens so much. The problem was, I couldn’t hold the camera high enough to get within the focal range of the long lens. I ended up climbing a couple of rungs up the ladder to get my shot in focus.  I took several shots. This is the one that was most in focus. Not bad, considering I was probably 7 feet off the ground.

I didn’t notice the white dots when just looking at it. I guess the dazzling green distracted me.

A friend helped me identify this as a six-spotted tiger beetle. You can read more about them here: http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/six-spotted_tiger_beetle.htm

(Click the photo to see a larger version.)