Bumblebeetle

The bumblebeetle

And the bumblespider

I came across at least two bugs that shared the same exoskeleton colours.One was a beetle and the other - a jumping spider.Pretty cool critters considering the fact that they are really small and the blend of black and yellow really made them stand out.

Beetlemania

A longhorned beetle
A green beetle

Another variant of the beetle

Beetles are simply the coolest creatures ever.
The large ones are easy to photograph while a few species are really skittish.
I managed to capture a few during my visit to Awana Resort in Genting Highland and the results were really satisfying.

Small shiny beetle

Beetles with metallic exoskeleton are the hardest to capture on camera.Their skin tends to reflect light and plenty of care must be taken on your flashgun's
diffuser.Some of these bugs are as small as a peanut and its difficult to get it on a 1:1 lens without cropping the image in the final result.I guess when it comes to capturing these critters, there's still much to do on my diffuser work...

Macrothon - Bukit Tinggi, Pahang

My first Rhino Beetle

Long horned beetle

Team Macromaniac: Samo, TS Ching and Master Kurt

Friday was a packed affair.I left for Bukit Tinggi in Pahang as early as 6am in the morning and rounded up my macro shooting
kaki TS Ching and Master Kurt.We had a good start and the weather was excellent.This was my second trip and follow-up to the hilltop resort and I found that many things has changed.The entrance fee has been revised from RM10 - RM12 and security guards are place at the
Japanese Tea House entrance.I had a hard time with a Nepali who refused to allow my car into the park.After dealing with the idiot, we decided to walk to the botanical garden at the park.It was quiet and we had the whole place to ourselves.There were plenty of beetles and bees around and I had a blast shooting at least three different
species of long horned beetles.We worked till 3pm and shot off to Bukit Gasing for a night macro session.

Beetles! Oh yeah...

Long horned beetle

Up close and personal - a beetle's head shot with my MR14EX ring flash

My mentor Master Kurt, Me, Derrick and Master Wee at the Japanese tea house in Bukit tinggi recently..

My break is drawing to an end and so far, its been a fruitful week.

Went up to Bukit Tinggi on Friday with Master Kurt, braddah Derrick and Master Wee whom we hooked up with later near the location.

I was told that the bukit tinggi area is a favourite haunt for birders and macro photography enthusiasts.

Didn't know what the guys were talking about till I saw it for myself and it was totally awesome.

Spent the whole day there photographing bugs and was about done during mid-day.

They own the night...

A very handsome beetle

This guy is featureless. Its the most boring bug I've come across..

I've tested my Samo Frankenfuser mark IV last night with some promising results.It takes a little effort to walk out to a small wooded area near the housing estate's fencing
and the bugs are all there for the taking.While most of the beetles are similar in appearance, I found one that is roughly about 9mm
in length which turned out to be the bug superstar of the night.Apart from beetles, I also found two huntsman spider lurking on a bunch of pandan leaves.And when it comes to predators, these are on top of the food chain and they literally own the
night.Well, there still tonight at the patch of shrubs and I hope to find more interesting creatures that are lurking in the dark.