repost
Took me a bit by surprise when I saw this praying mantis devouring it’s mate a couple of days ago. A little gruesome, but I had never seen this before.
I did crop quite a bit. Ran it through ACR & PS most added linear profile/auto, shadow/hightlights, brightness/contrast and vibrance adjustment layers.
Does this seem too gruesome? Cropped too close? Any other thoughts and comments welcome and appreciated. Thanks
Nikon D7200, f/9, 1/640, iso 320, @105mm, handheld.
Not too gruesome- it’s just how nature works sometimes. Love ‘em and eat ‘em!
Wow, Linda! Quite the action shot! It’s like a wildlife show! I don’t know if you’re a Steve Irwin fan but it just makes me think of what he always would say, ‘that’s nawatures waay’ ! Don’t know if I’m writing his Aussie accent right or not.
This is excellent, Linda. The detail is wonderful throughout. Only change might be to clone and nip off the tip of the antenna leading out of the scene. Just an idea and not a nit at all.
As a long time protector of praying mantis I had no idea how veracious they can be. I saw a video where one was perched on a hummingbird feeder. A bird landed and the mantis attacked it and was trying to devour it. Thankfully the person videoing stepped in a separated them.
So, seeing this life cycle seems almost calm to that event… 
Very interesting shot of the Hit Woman, Linda. You did very well to get the main action in focus. You might have been able to shoot at f13 to get more of her in focus, but you seem to be making great use of the macro lens, and you certainly didn’t crop too close. Well taken!
The male refused to pay the bill for the dinner date. An excellent behavior shot of mantids. You could crop the bottom up too where the female mantis’s wings come into focus for a more dramatic comp. Well done…Jim
Oh wow, Linda, what a find and a shot. Nature can be “gruesome” for us to watch at times. The way she has turned her face towards the camera gives this a nice feel that she was shameless in her behavior. I had read that they did this, but had never seen it before. So glad you were able to capture the action.
Thanks so much, @Kris_Smith, @Vanessa_Hill, @Paul_Breitkreuz, @Jim_Zablotny, @Mike_Friel and @Shirley_Freeman for taking the time to comment and share your suggestions. I did a repost and included removing the tip of the antenna as Paul suggested. Also cropped off the bottom as Jim suggested. Since I’m not working with a full frame camera, I do tend to loose clarity the closed I zoom in, but I still like the crop. Appreciate all of your thoughts.
The changes are excellent and it really keeps our focus directly on the main area of the consumption as it were… 
Nice job on the repost!
What a great find and very well photographed! I’ve heard of this behavior but have never seen it. Maybe this species doesn’t have an issue with women’s rights…
Hi Linda, great behavioral capture! The repost really focuses us in on the action. Well done!
Thanks, Diane. . . and good for them!
Thanks, Allen, appreciate your time and thoughs.
