This weekend, I set out for a ride on my bicycle. My goal was to make it to the “First Mailboxes”, a landmark on the way up Rist Canyon. This is a solid ride, and I would have been happy to make it there and back. I had the wind at my back pushing me up the hill, and I was feeling good, so I passed the mailboxes and kept climbing. I eventually made it all the way to the summit- for the first time in 17 years (42 miles, 3600’)! It was definitely a long hard slow climb. So slow in fact, that it was easy to spot the brown Praying Mantis standing on the white line at the side of the road. I stopped to capture the insect with my phone, and this became my favorite image of the week.
Brown Mantis on the White Line
iPhone 12 Pro
The irony is that earlier in the day, I had shot a green praying mantis on the side of my house with my big fancy camera. Those shots were good, but I still prefer this one, probably because of the shadow. It’s amazing how good this camera is.
Digital Darkroom. I didn’t have to do much for this image. After cropping, I decreased highlights (-19) and brightened the shadows (+48). I then brushed over the mantis and its shadow, increasing clarity by +44.
WIRR stands for Weekly Image Rich Ruh. This regular feature on Das Has von Ruh will show and describe my favorite photo created during this weekly period. My weeks start on Mondays, as does the WIRR. I’m hoping to include commentary on the story, the setting, the specs, or the sentiments, depending on the circumstances.
Das Haus von Ruh 