Love the lighting, DoF and tones in this, a really interesting take on the theme. My only niggle is... is it actually too good? (Yep I am nuts )
i.e. because it is such a good capture of the little fellow you lose some of the sense of his ability to blend in because he is so easy to pick out in the photo?
Z, this is a praying mantis. What I love about them is their ability to change color to match there surroundings. This is actually where the idea for this WA came from, that and they are just now starting to come around this time of year.
Craig, I agree totally with you. Stopping down would have made for a much stronger case for what I was trying to portray for his hiding skills but I opted for less DoF as I felt it made a better photograph. I konw you agree and again you are right!
It can be a tricky balance between relating with the theme/content and with delivering a great photo. (edit: re-reading that it looks like I am saying I take great photos... I just mean that is always the desired end-result whether or not we achieve it, which I think this photo does)
As you say, a greater DoF would have made it more obvious but at the risk of a much more 'snapshotty' image. I think you made the right choice and if it was simple it wouldn't be half as much fun
)