This standalone section of Gene's Digest is essentially an entomological collection. It differs from a real one in that all specimen presented in it were left unharmed and free to go about their tiny business after being "collected". During photo sessions, I never force an insect to pose for me; instead I try to adjust myself to its natural behavior in a given environment. Such approach makes photographic process more interesting and challenging and the end result — more satisfying. Live insects and other small arthropods are very gratifying subjects to photograph — and possibly among the most difficult. A photographer must be extremely patient and aware of their habits and surroundings in order to develop a matching shooting style. Special photographic hardware is also a must; and not everything you may need or want could be bought even from a good photo equipment store. Lightning, for example, is one area where you can unleash your imagination to craft custom light setups to suit your needs. I hope you will enjoy this virtual gallery. I am careful to include only the best photos I've taken so far, every one of them has its own history and is special to me in some way. I'll be glad to receive your feedback. If you really like or dislike a particular picture, please feel free to comment, or drop me a line. Don't forget to click on the pictures to open them in fullscreen. These larger images have been manually processed with great care to show the best possible quality on a high-resolution computer monitor. Thanks, and have fun! Some of my best photographs (13x18", signed, unmatted, high quality inkjet prints) are currently available for sale at Photo Technique magazine's web site. I am currently looking for a web and/or photography-related job. If you have an offer, please contact me.

Stereo images (11 images) Updated: 23:22 17 Feb 2008 Crossed-eyed stereo pairs. The trick is to see the left image with your right eye and the right image with your left eye. At a comfortable distance from your monitor, try to look at the tip of your nose, while keeping your monitor in the background. Eventually you will see three pictures instead of two. Concentrate on the center picture (try not to be distracted by your peripheral vision). If you`ve done it correctly, you should be able to see a hologram-like image, showing the subject in 3D.

Butterflies, moths and caterpillars — Lepidoptera (42 images) Updated: 23:28 17 Feb 2008 An interesting fact is that, due to their relatively large size, most butterflies cannot be considered a true macro subjects, as you don`t need a special macro equipment to be able to shoot them. On the contrary, specialized photo gear might even prevent you from making a good photo of a large butterfly. Regardless, they still have all rights to be presented in this gallery.

Dragonflies and Damselflies — Odonata (10 images) Updated: 12:32 30 Jul 2007 Dragonflies are stunningly beautiful insects. Unfortunately for photographer, most of them can fly very well and have incredibly good eyesight, so approaching them with a camera could be a challenge. It pays, though — some of those approaches yielded my best photos.

Beetles — Coleoptera (36 images) Updated: 17:34 20 Oct 2008 Most beetles tend to move constantly when left alone, and many have a highly reflective body surface. To make a good shot, without blowing highlights and underexposing shadows, a sophisticated lightning is needed more than with most other subjects.

Flies and mosquitos — Diptera (27 images) Updated: 15:08 28 Aug 2007 Many species of this order make great photo subjects. Some flies are really beautiful, resembling a piece of jewelry. See and judge for yourself!

Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies — Hymenoptera (28 images) Updated: 00:00 18 Feb 2008 This order consists of a huge variety of forms. Some, like honey bees, are known to everyone and, controversially, that makes them more difficult to shoot, if you really want your photo to stand out. Besides, they can sting!

Grasshoppers etc. — Orthoptera (9 images) Updated: 00:10 18 Feb 2008 Some grasshoppers actually like to pose, which makes them a fine portrait subject.

Bugs — Heteroptera (17 images) Updated: 00:21 18 Feb 2008 Very interesting group. Some look quite unusually, resembling a prehistoric monster rather than an insect. Check them out!

Other insects (11 images) Updated: 17:58 20 Oct 2008 This album contains photos of insects which, based on their zoological nomenclature, are not qualified to be included in other albums.

Other invertebrates: spiders etc. (10 images) Updated: 21:37 01 Oct 2007 These are NOT insects.

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