CLONE WARS

Have the grasshoppers began replicating efforts and resorted to cloning themselves?

This was another good shot from this project. The similarity among individuals within a species can be incredible, and allow for some good photo opportunities.

I had originally thought about lining some up on a branch or leaf, so it looked like a long line of the same grasshopper.

But then some started crawling on the bottom of the leaf too, creating a mirror effect.

I staged this photo by picking up a handful of similar-looking grasshoppers (same size, color, etc). I then chilled them in the refrigerator to slow them down. Otherwise, they would have just hopped away. A lot of the really cute baby photos you see are staged in the same way. The baby to be photographed is nursed in a very warm room and allowed to fall asleep. Then the photographer poses the child and begins to shoot. Chilling can be used with insects and reptiles, and, if done properly, can be done with no adverse effects. An animal left unattended in a chilling environment can result in death, so please be cautious if you want to attempt this method.

proof-of-clones