Sharpshooter
by Gary Holmes
Title
Sharpshooter
Artist
Gary Holmes
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
I was out taking photos of our hibiscus after a heavy rain this morning and spied this Candy-Striped Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea) drying out on an adjacent leaf. I estimate its total length at 6 to 7 mm. Once I got my macro lens trained on it, I was reminded of some kind of colorful saltwater reef fish. Thanks to my advanced powers of internet searching, I quickly identified it using the University of Wisonsin-Milwaukee Field Station site (https://www4.uwm.edu/fieldstation/naturalhistory/bugoftheweek/candystripedleafhopper.cfm), which provides a very entertaining description of its lifestyle, and how it obtained its alternate name of "Sharpshooter." All I will say here is I am glad I was not standing behind it. Read for yourself. I cannot say that I witnessed it hopping, because it never moved so much as its body length from mid morning until sunset when I looked for it again. It must have found the mother lode of juices at the base of that leaf. They are related to cicadas, and apparently can sing like a cicada, but it is apparently too soft for humans to hear.
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Gary Holmes, photographer: I have always loved to photograph nature, landscapes, abstract, and other found objects of interest. I prefer the challenge of trying to capture the unpredictable spontaneity of things and events as they are occurring. I started with a Kodak Brownie as a child, but entered the world of real photography with a Canon AE-1 in the late 1970's. I have successfully sold a number of my photographs on Fine Art America, and have been recognized in international photography venues. My photo, "Blue Norther," was selected by the nonprofit Texas Bluebird Society for its 2010 membership announcements. My most requested photo, "Rowers' Arc," was selected as an Editors' Choice on 500px, as well as a 5-star Editor's Choice designation in Camerapixo's Hot Shots photo magazine, Volume 4 (http://issuu.com/camerapixo/docs/hotshots-camerapixo-04/1). It
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June 28th, 2015
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Comments (2)
Nancy Griswold
oooooo..how amazing! and a great shot too
Gary Holmes replied:
Thank you, Nancy. You never know what wonders you may be passing by each day. I had seen these occasionally before, but never actually tried to photograph one until yesterday.
Deborah Benoit
Great macro Gary!! l/f
Gary Holmes replied:
Thank you, Deborah. Shooting clean macros in the open is a rather difficult process. The slightest breeze would send this completely out of focus. I consider myself fortunate to have captured this one.
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