Mantis

I found this young native NZ praying mantis on the wall inside, today. I relocated it to the passionfruit vine outside, which has been attacked recently by orange aphids. On route we stopped on the drive and had a photo shoot.

I quite like the way the overexposure seems to almost give a 3D quality to this image. I played around with and exaggerated the exposure and contrast. Mantids always seem a little alien, and the heat haze effect created by the mix of strong, delineated elements and faded out areas, enhances that impression for me.