While I was crossing a bridge on a forest trail, I noticed I was not alone. There was a baby Mantis hanging out on some old dead wood. I try to get as close as possible but the Mantis does not seem to be much of a fan of me and my big scary camera. I made a collage of them since they were such small insects.

 Camera Model Lumix GH3, modified by LifePixel for Full Spectrum  Lens Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm-50mm  Filter 720nm Infrared Passthrough filter  Aperture f/3.5  Shutter Speed 1/250 sec  Film Speed 200  Spectrum Infrared (IR)  Wavelength 720 nanometers  Location Wildcat Creek Campground, Georgia USA.

I was surprised that it came out white, making me think it reflects infrared light. As Ants come up as dark black, adsorbing the light. Though the Mantis eyes are a black color.

It took cover behind the dead wood, still checking me out. Many plants can be seen behind the mantis reflecting infrared light.

It starts moving along, while I follow it taking more pictures.

Moving to the top of the dead wood, it started swaying like a leaf in the breeze. A tactic that these Mantis use to try to make me think its a leaf and not a bug.

There were two other critters I noticed. A bug with some weird shell, reminding me a hermit crab on land. I have no idea what it is. Looks like a piece of bird poop that moves.. lol

The other critter is one I really dont want around me, it was a Tick. I can be seen to the left of that hermit crab bug like thing. They are both in the first picture as well, the Tick with its outstretched arms trying to cling onto anything it can..yuck.

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Makingblocks.xyz/about

I take pictures with a special camera. Its a Mirrorless DSLR that has been modified by Life Pixel to see light in other wavelengths. This allows my camera to see light in the Infrared [IR] around 1300 NM wavelength, through the visual spectrum and into the Ultraviolet A and B wavelengths roughly into the 300 NM wavelength.

I carry many filters on me to make the photos you see in my blog, these filters screw on my lens and help me isolate certain wavelengths for certain scenes. These filters can be IR / UV pass-through filters to assist me get a natural photo taking out the UV and IR light. Or I may use a Infrared pass-through filter capture just IR light. I can do the same with UV light as well, though I need some better filters which they can cost a few hundred dollars for true Ultraviolet pass through filters. So for right now I have B + W 403 bandpass filters that still allow some IR light in, due to their cheaper material.

There are also exotic glasses made of sapphire and germanium I am open to working with to replace my silica glass hot mirror with a material that allows even longer wavelengths of infrared to enter my cameras sensor. Special sensors, lenses and filters of that material would be needed as well, so it would be a big project but one that may give some even more unique photography results.

Bitbacker.io/user/solominer/

Addresses below to help me buy better camera equipment and support me to travel to locations to do photo and video and overall great blogs in new places. I would be happy to list some of the contributors in my posts for donations that help me along the way.

Coin Address  BTC: bc1qhfmvd2gywg4fvrgy2kkkkyqta0g86whkt7j8r7  LTC: ltc1qdyzm5cwgt8e2373prx67yye6y9ewk0l8jf3ys9  DASH: XkSqR5DxQL3wy4kNbjqDbgbMYNih3a7ZcM  ETH: 0x045f409dAe14338669730078201888636B047DC3  DOGE: DSoekC21AKSZHAcV9vqR8yYefrh8XcX92Z  ZEN: znW9mh62WDSCeBXxnVLCETMx59Ho446HJgq

For more information on how I do my photography I have a short video on that: https://steempeak.com/photography/@solominer/vqgcrs3x

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