Winner and Finalists of Bugs, Insects, and Spiders Photography Assignment - #51

From Liz Masoner, former About.com Guide

Although it is often assumed that insects do not have expressions because their faces are not as flexible as humans or other animals, this image nicely creates an expression through the capture of the body pose combined with the angle of the insect head. The insect is on a rule of thirds line to add impact and the background and foreground are relatively simple to avoid drawing attention away from the insect. The lighting on the insect is good, and in this case the distinct shadow underneath the insect helps to separate the insect from the background even further. By getting very close and filling so much of the frame with the insect we are allowed to see detail that we normally do not get the opportunity to study.