Ground beetle in a hurry

We've become accustomed to seeing photographs of insects as sharp and detailed, but this form of documentary photography isn't the only way of seeing. Yes, I'll admit this photograph wasn't deliberate, but the decision to keep it was very much a deliberate choice. It reminds me that the insects I photograph are very much alive, usually active (I'll chill them in a fridge only under exceptional circumstances, when it's important for something other than my own satisfaction), and often uncooperative — like this big ground beetle (a species of Mecodema).

[If you haven't visited my other blog recently, you might like to check out the two new posts there :-)]

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