Thrifty Thursdays feature photographs taken with equipment costing less than $500.

The profound depth of field in digicam images is both a blessing and a curse. Backdrops boldly insert themselves into digicam photos no matter what precautions the photographer takes. Thus, photographing well with a digicam is in large part an excercise in backdrop management.
In naturally pleasing contexts (like a pastel blue sky, below), digicams handily outperform the more expensive SLRs. In complex environments (like the forest, above), digicam focal depth is a liability unless the photographer can compose creatively. In the top photo, I arranged the angle so the subject’s clearly focused silhouette falls into a gap in the cluttered background. The effect hits a sweet spot: an animal and its environment, without any ambiguity about the subject.

Although this is a young insect, it is still a preying mantis and it is still large for an arthopod. Thus, I did not need to crop to force the little Panasonic to “magnify” beyond its ability. These photographs work well, in my opinion, because they play to the Panasonic’s strengths.
Kind of reminds me of “The Lion King” meets “A Bug’s Life”… the next Disney mashup?
While I’m really enjoying this series, it has left me feeling depressed that I can no longer blame my camera for my poor photographs. Your tips are helping, though!