Up Close with Nature

MT-24EX - R1C1 face-off / showdown! I am not here to talk about which one will give you better light or which one is more powerful. They are both powerful enough and your light depends on how you diffuse your flash. If you need ideas on diffusion, check out this post instead. I highly recommend the concave diffuser! I am more interested in how well both systems work out in the field, and the

CW's macro rig. Canon 7D, Tamron SP90 (and extension tubes), 270EX II, FMMB and concave diffuser. You can find some info on FMMB here and here. More macro rigs here. All images by Cheewai. 270EX II (wireless) on FMMB (Front Mounted Macro Bracket, which allows the speedlight unit to always stay in front even as you zoom and the lens extends out. You can find some info on FMMB here and here.

Another lantern fly added to my collection. The species count now stands at 9. It is not exactly a new species for me since I had photographed a nymph of this lovely Zanna sp. back in Oct 3, 2009. Yes, it took me a little more than three years before I finally had the luck to come across an adult Zanna sp. lantern fly! I spent 4 hours and took like 300 images of this exotic beauty! All images

Semachrysa jade - a new species of lacewing I found in Selangor. Also my first time lucky with lacewing. Saw a couple of lacewings before but never managed any decent shots. I first saw and photographed this species in the wild in its natural habitat on May 10, 2011. A few lacewing experts came across images of this lacewing I posted in forums and Flickr and informed me that this could be a

Giraffe weevils / leaf rolling weevils / long necked beetles are one of my most favorite macro subjects. They are so just so cute and photogenic and a great fun to photograph, even more so when they are mating! I found my first giraffe weevil on March 8, 2008 - a male with long neck! But it wasn't until Oct 9, 2010 that I managed to find a mating pair of that particular species. More info here.

At first glance, I thought it was a Camaricus maugi crab spider. Peeping through the viewfinder, I was surprised to discover that it was a jumping spider, one that looked almost like a Camaricus maugi crab spider. Coiicidence? Or is it mimicking the Camaricus maugi? And if so, why? Camaricus maugi crab spider. See the resemblance? My first time finding a Salticid like this, no ID yet.

This is the fourth species of giraffe weevil / leaf rolling weevil I have found in Malaysia. I even found a female building nest! These have been IDed as: Korotyaevirhinus necopinus orientalis,  Legalov, 2003. (ID credit: Andrei) I took too many shots of these weevils....but who can resist such cuteness? :P Cute :) Yes, the weevil ate that much! When nature calls? No, it's not what you