Darwinian Mechanics
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under Wildlife Photography
A girl less often found on a grey seamless than your typical rosy-cheeked model…
These Bulldog Ants (Myrmecia spp.) are both ferocious predators and exceedingly alert. Their large eyes afford excellent vision and as such they are eternally vigilant for both prey and intruders. This little girl (ants, like bees reproduce through parthenogenesis and accordingly the workers are all female.) was difficult to deal with – photographed with two lights on a ready-made cyclorama formed from a sheet of crisp laserjet paper. They are the largest ants in Australia, and some species can be in excess of 40mm in length! these ones were around 25mm, toting disproportionately enormous mandibles and a potent sting which they use to subdue prey and fend off predators.
This image is actually about 2 years old. I decided to reprocess and upload it mostly as a reminder to myself of a subject that really is important to me…
If you’d like to read more about these ants, check out a brilliant article featured in National Geographic that deals with them and their fascinating lifestyles, here.
Also, for more macro photos of an enormous array of Perth’s local invertebrate fauna – including more images of these ants, check out two of my good friends and their photostreams here and here. Most of what I know about ants I have learnt from these guys – both incredibly enthusiastic about these diminutive creatures.
Cycle of Life: A photo essay
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under Wildlife Photography
A Green Turtle lays her eggs, against the glow of two oil rigs on the horizon.
Earlier this year, I spent two weeks traversing the Pilbara region of Western Australia, as a personal project to document the region and also to relax at the same time. Another of the primary reasons for the trip was to spend some time around Exmouth and nearby Cape Range National Park, to document the hatching of turtles along the coastline, and if I was lucky, the laying of eggs by the enormous adult turtles. We spent about three nights camping in the national park, each evening going out looking for wildlife on the roads and then pulling into some of the many beaches along the Cape searching for nesting Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas).
A turtle clambers ashore to lay her eggs at sunset
Find out more and see what eats baby turtles after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: field, photo essay, photojournalism, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography
Workplace Hazards!
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under Wildlife Photography
The Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko) is one of the most commonly encountered reptiles in Southeast Asia (This one is from Thailand, near the Burmese border). They frequent houses and man-made structures, coming out at night to hunt for insects and smaller geckos. They are quite enormous for a gecko, reaching lengths over a foot long!
Hear about and even see what this guy did to my finger, after the jump…. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: assignment, gecko, Lighting, lizard, macro, portrait, reptile, strobist, thailand, travel, Wildlife
