Recently I picked up a new lens that allows me some freedom. Freedom to go out at almost any point in the day to go out and find some interesting things to capture. Every few months I plan on posting my recent shots, all grouped up in this new series of the “World Below”.

On the left, an Orchard spider precariously descends down a webbing.

This Chinese Praying Mantis was extremely cooperative. While out walking in Franklin Parker Preserve, it leapt out onto the path in front of me. I had more than enough time to get my camera out of the backpack and slowly approach at ground level. Right after this shot, it started its ‘walking like a stick blowing in the wind’ dance and made it back into the tall grass.

While I was out hunting for something to take a photo of, this little jumping spider was making itself comfortable on my tripod. There was about 5 minutes of hide and seek until it jumped into orbit, never to be seen again (by me).

When I approached this area in the Black Run Preserve, this frog was one of the only that stayed put for me. I ended up prone and crawling along the bog slowly to get as close as I could. In fact, my camera dipped into the water just a bit to get as low as possible.

I’ll share another collection of the World Below soon!