Tips for Photographing Grasshoppers and Bush Crickets (Orthoptera)

Whilst this was my own first love it was, nevertheless, many years before I mastered the art of obtaining life size images of something that can not only be as small as half an inch in length but is highly mobile to boot. As with virtually all Wildlife Photography the answers lie in studying the subject. Some grasshopper species are fully winged, some short winged and some have only vestigial wings so that their flying ability varies from species to species. They do, however, have one thing in common and that is the ability to make prodigious leaps. This ability often seems telepathically linked to the forward movement of your shutter release finger! Fortunately, once you are psyched into Grasshopper mode there are many steps you can take to circumvent the disappointment of obtaining perfectly exposed and focussed shots of the perch where a grasshopper “was until very recently!”

Firstly I cannot stress too strongly the importance of separating the subject from its background. The principal role in life of the average grasshopper is to become lunch for one of its many predators. In order to “delay the evil day” as long as possible then, in addition to their acrobatic ability, they have become past masters at the art of camouflage. Most species, particularly those resident in the UK, occur in a variety of colour forms. This characteristic not only hopefully “prolongs their active life” but, inadvertently and coincidentally, makes identifying the various species a nightmare for the newcomer.

It is uncanny how many times you will find that species such as Meadow or Mottled tend to be green in areas of green vegetation, brown in areas of brown and a mixed combination of the two in those areas where the vegetation is either mixed in colour or occurs in varied patches. To further confuse the issue many of them have purple based colour forms seemingly in most locations and occur in dark to even black forms in areas where there has been a recent fire. They do not have the ability to change colour in the way that a Chameleon does, for example, but certainly seem to have the ability to somehow adapt during their life cycle. I have read much theoretical gobbledy gook on this subject and, whilst I can believe that someone, somewhere, may have solved the conundrum as to how they achieve it, I have never read a convincing explanation. Certainly I have photographed black forms in burnt areas in the same year as the fire in question which would lead one to suppose that the colour change occurs during their life cycle and is not predetermined. It could well be achieved, as has been suggested more than once, by ingesting additional quantities of various minerals or other substances to effect the change. On the other hand it could simply be that they hatch in mixed colours like a packet of Smarties and those that are best suited to the environment are the ones that survive long enough to have their pictures taken. I know not but would be pleased to receive any learned theories.

With this in mind if you try to photograph grasshoppers sitting in, or surrounded by, their natural background then, no matter how much you think they stand out when seen through your view finder, you will find, when you process your shots, that you cannot, so to speak, “see the wood for the trees”. The effect of this is that it will quickly become obvious that you have to somehow divorce the subject from its background. This is obviously somewhat easier said than done.

Firstly grasshoppers are far more active on a hot day or in the middle of the day than they are either in cold weather or in the early mornings or late evenings of a nice summer’s day. Most of the UK species become adult from late June onwards and most of those that have not become “haute cuisine” in the meantime nevertheless become “dearly departed” sometime in October and certainly by November. By and large they hatch from eggs, laid either underground or into vegetation, from late March through to as late as June depending on species and weather. After hatching the immature grasshopper resembles a mini version of its adult form. It then goes through a succession of instars and ecdysis or “moults” during which it casts its outer layer or exoskeleton allowing it to grow larger in its next instar, or stage of development, until becoming adult.

It does not make the best of photographic subjects in its earlier instars, not only because of its diminutive size, but also because, whilst most literature on the subject states that a juvenile closely resembles its adult form, this resemblance must, no doubt, be more discernible to another grasshopper than it is to we photographers. Identification of juveniles or “hoppers” can be a nightmare for even experienced “Orthopterists” as we students of the grasshopper kingdom are known. My advice is to leave well alone until July and August by which time they’ve “got some meat on ‘em”.

The common concept of grasshoppers is that they are little green things always hopping about. Both assumptions are wrong. In fact they are, on the whole, highly colourful and they do hop. This, however, seems to be a mechanism for flight and not primarily for locomotion. They normally move around by crawling on their front four legs and are not normally in a hurry to get anywhere. Yes they leap about when you walk through the grass but this is mainly to get out of your way. A factor often overlooked is that many of them are only good for two or three hops before the grasshopper version of cramp sets in. A symptom of this is that both the hind legs stick out backwards and can play no further part in their locomotion until time effects a cure. The functionally winged species can still fly of course but the others become “grounded”. Grasshoppers should not be hounded to this extent since, not only are they not very photogenic in this state, but additionally, as Wildlife Photographers you have to develop a strict moral code of conduct one aspect of which is that you should never knowingly cause undue stress to your subject. I state “undue stress” here because most prey species, of which grasshoppers are one, live lives continuously subject to “normal stress” and I do not believe this has a necessarily deleterious effect on their well being. Certainly those caught after a brief chase and subsequently released show little or no ill effect and are often sunning or eating within seconds of being released or an abortive chase abandoned.

Do not make the mistake of anthropomorphising, or ascribing human thoughts, responses, sentiments and aspirations to your subjects because they do not work that way Most forms of wildlife fill their lives with two preoccupations – eating and reproducing – and they should be allowed to continue to do both unhampered as befits their rights to life as they know it, and your personal code needs to develop along lines that allows this to continue.

The trick is to get them to accept you as no source of threat. This is actually much easier than it seems. If you go grasshoppering in the cooler periods it is odds on that your body temperature will exceed the ambient temperature of the surroundings. With this in mind if, by fair means, you can get the insect onto your hand and keep it there,( probably best by cupping your hands,) long enough for it realise that you are not, in fact, a threat then you will probably find that it will prefer to stay on your hand, hot and sweaty though it may be, rather than waving around in the wind on some grass stem or other. Often, and the colder it is the better, you will find that if you approach the insect slowly with your finger it will accept it as a heat source rather than a threat and obligingly hop on board. and it is then a straightforward matter to transfer it carefully to a suitable perch where, providing you look sharp, you should have chance to take your photos before it decides to move on.

Failing the above you may need to catch it and this is where the potential controversy begins. However you decide to do it, it must be done quickly to avoid over stressing. You might initially think that a net is the answer but you need to be very careful with these. Grasshoppers tend to be well supplied with “prickly bits” particularly on the back of the legs and these tend to get caught up in netting. If you have to forcibly disentangle the insect there is always the chance of harming it not to mention the fact that it will subsequently have “the wind up” to such an extent that you are not likely to get much cooperation from it on the photographic front. I have always found that the easiest and least stressful is to use an insect catching pot. This is simply a small clear plastic pot that can be gently placed over the insect almost without it realising it. Small glass jars will do but are heavy and fragile to carry or some of the proprietary pots that are sold for picnicking and are designed to take small things like salt or mustard or whatever. Failing the availability of an economical alternative one of the Scientific Equipment suppliers such as Watkins and Doncaster will be able to fill the bill.

Having got your insect in your pot you then need to get it used to your hand. This is best achieved by replacing the pot lid with your hand and allowing the insect time to come to terms with it. Hold the pot upside down in your hand and allow the insect to slide down the side onto your palm. After an initial couple of instinctive hops inside the pot it will almost invariably settle down and you can then gently remove the pot and place the insect onto a perch. It is a great help if you prepare a suitably photogenic perch in advance so that you do not waste time looking for one when you should be keeping your eye on your subject.

Your choice of a suitable perch is actually quite important if you want to get those world beating shots. I prefer to have my images at an angle of some 30 ish degrees rather than dead horizontal or vertical. Fortunately I have a tripod bush on my 200 ml macro lens, which is my weapon of choice for grasshoppers, and so I can adjust the tilt of the camera to achieve the desired angle with a minimum of effort. For anyone without that advantage it is much easier to place the perch at the correct angle in the first place. This means that your subject will end up perching on top of it. I know you often see grasshoppers and other insects such as Butterflies hanging vertically from very slender grass stems but bear in mind that, even for yourself, it is much easier to hang from a vertical rope than it is to lie or balance on a horizontal one. Just so for the grasshopper so make sure that you select a twig or stick of sufficient thickness to enable it to perch comfortably or it will “op orf” in double quick time. Try to select one that complements the colour of the insect as it will feel happier to stay put if it is “colour co-ordinated”. Choose one without side leaves or branches or invariably, “sod’s law” being what it is, then it will be behind one of these that your subject chooses to squat. Something about three feet long should be ideal and enable you to work far enough above ground to avoid having to lie in the mud or “doing your back in”.. Stick it in the ground at the required angle about a foot from a suitably coloured background and at right angles to the sun – if there is any about. Remember that to obtain an image of satisfactory size you will be working in close and at some magnification so that detail of your background 12ins away will become blurred and not intrude into your shot. Right angles to the sun is also important as this is the position a grasshopper will normally assume at rest. When you transfer your quiescent charge to its new “des res” it will normally adopt a rest or sunning position at right angles to whatever source of ambient light there is. This manifests itself by the insect lowering the hind leg nearest the sun to expose its abdomen to the maximum amount of warmth and raising the other back leg above the abdomen so that it, too, can benefit from some “rays”. This position actually exposes the absolute maximum amount of body surface to the sun’s warmth. Beware! On a sunny day the average grasshopper abdomen could teach a mirror maker something about reflective properties. I must admit that this is a problem to which I have not, as yet, found a satisfactory answer.

Depending on your closeup capability I would always suggest that you try for as frame filling a shot as possible. This will often involve 1:1 size ratio and maybe more. I know that you can, with digital, take a more distant shot and then crop in to suit but you cant beat “the real thing”. The problem with relying on a crop to create your “head and shoulder” type close-ups is that your eye, or most people’s anyway, is not reliable enough to depend on when taking shots that, in view of subject size, may be relatively distant. You will not be able to be certain that all your relevant points are equally in focus. Macro photography is a very demanding pursuit and does not suffer fools, or those who think they know best, gladly. Your eye will often mislead you into thinking that all is sharp and well and this delusion will buoy you up until you subsequently apply your mega crop. You only need to be a tad out and the effect of cropping will accentuate every focussing blemish. To get a complete grasshopper’s near side fully in focus is, to all but the best equipment, in any event, near impossible anyway. You will find that, as with most “eyed” wildlife, it is essential, above all else, that the eye be in focus. Unless you are trying for just a front on, or partial sideways, head shot you will need to be square on to your subject. In this position obtaining full focus on the eye is relatively straightforward. I, personally, also prefer to have the abdomen and external genitalia in focus as well. This not only helps in sexual identification but my eye finds it far more pleasing to have the creature fully in focus both “fore and aft”. This presents a problem in the form of the nearside hind leg. Working as closely as you will probably have to be a grasshopper or bush cricket is too thick across its width where the back leg is positioned to be able to get eye, abdomen and the nearside of the hind femur all in focus at the same time with most equipment. You will have to compromise and I would suggest bracketing your shots, from a focus point of view, so that you can select the shot that suits you best from amongst several. (My views on bracketing are covered more fully in my article entitled “Modus Operandi”.) Species with patterned or textured (ridges are not infrequent) hind legs often demand that greater focussing bias be granted to the legs, especially if the abdomen is pretty bland and uniform, whereas an attractive and coloured abdomen, and especially if you want sharp genitalia, may demand that greater emphasis be placed on those areas. In any event take my advice and take enough shots to give you a choice. Bearing in mind the problems of reflective abdomens mentioned in the previous paragraph bracketing for various exposures will also be to your advantage.

I spend a lot of time photographing in Mediterranean countries where, of course, the sun is not as rare a commodity as it is in the UK. I have tried shading the subject with such as a parasol but you then need some degree of flash to highlight the salient points and this, in turn, creates a reflection of its own. I have tried various filters with which I have seldom obtained good results in closeup. I have also tried praying that, although the evidence is there in the viewfinder, maybe it wont come out or will be in some way mitigated when you get the final result. This latter seems to be the most efficacious measure because it at least engenders a feeling of hope, albeit if only until your shots are processed! On a serious note the advent of digital photography and the input of “Mr Adobe” does offer some modern day remedies but make sure that you don’t end up with an unsightly smudge along an otherwise pristine abdomen!

All the above apart, there are times when grasshoppers are approachable in a natural setting and without any need for work on your part. They live on pretty sorry fare such as grasses and other similarly indigestible and nutrient poor foliage. They, therefore, have to consume an inordinate amount to supply the basic building blocks of life. Following the principle of “what goes up must come down” then, similarly, “what goes in must come out”. The consequence of this is that grasshoppers defecate a lot. Not only a lot but it takes them a long time to actually “do it”. This is especially true when you are waiting to photograph them without the unsavoury sight of a half emerged foreign object intruding into your composition! Seriously you may think you can clone this out later but you will find then that, although you can easily get rid of the evidence itself, you will be left with an unsightly and distended anal area to contend with. In actual fact their abdomens begin to contract quite some time before any visual evidence begins to appear and if you are careful whilst this is going on you will find that you can approach quite closely as they are, naturally, somewhat preoccupied. There will often be a gap between contractions when the abdomen will be still enough to take a shot and, just after completion of the business in hand, and while it is going through the grasshopper equivalent of saying “Phew” you will find that the insect is static and relaxed enough to allow several shots.

Another approachable time is when an insect is “preening” if that be the word when applied to Orthoptera. They spend a fair amount of time cleaning their various moving parts and, whilst preoccupied with this often involved process, you should find that you can approach carefully and get in position for your shot.

Some of my most pleasing shots have been when the subject is “sunning” itself. This has been covered above but when the insect is in this “mode” the position of its limbs does not lend itself to instant flight and a careful approach should get results. Rapid flight or escape is the first unreasoned and purely instinctive reaction of many living things to what could potentially be danger. It works on the basis of “better safe than sorry” and hardly ever involves conscious thought. If you can get beyond the first panic reaction then there is always a chance that, when whatever your subject is has had a chance to collect its thoughts, then it may well accept that you are not, in fact, a threat and, again, a careful approach may well reap rewards.

The above advices apply to practically all the UK Orthoptera with the definite exception of the largest and most attractive of the grasshopper species Stethophema Grossum, or the Large Marsh Grasshopper. These were probably used as models when man invented the Harrier Jet! Whilst their flight patterns seem to be directionally random they are quite forceful and can cover 50 to 100 meters in one fell swoop. Add to this the fact that they only seem to inhabit quaking bogs and you will realise that your chances of a productive pursuit are extremely limited. For those not fully conversant with the term “quaking bog” I feel certain that the name must be derived from the feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach as your “welly” disappears through the spaghnum with your leg still in it and no “touching the bottom” in sight.

There are only some twenty odd species of long term resident grasshoppers and bush crickets in the UK and so it is possible, with perseverance, to “bag” them all. However, and this is where Wildlife Awareness and photography need to come together, you will not bump into them all on a convenient street corner. You will really need to do your homework to establish not only identifying features but also preferred habitats and potential sites for those species with a limited distribution. There is little point in spending precious time searching known sites if you are unaware of what the creature looks like. At the same time it is no good being “au fait” with the appearance of, say, the Heath grasshopper if you are going to search for it in Hyde Park since its distribution is so limited that, as far as I am aware, it exists only in East Dorset and West Hants and then only on a very limited number of sites.

You may feel that Orthoptera will be a boring subject and not demand too large a chunk of your life – but you may be surprised! There may not be that many species, especially in the UK, but those that there are come in a plethora of colour forms. Your target hitlist of shots to be taken can contain headings such as:- Male, Female, Pairs, Juveniles (if you’re brave enough to take them on), Mating, Feeding, Preening, “Moulting” and so on. If you aim to cover all, or some, of these headings then you are in for a busy summer and early autumn. Added to which, of course, is that, through a closeup lens, they can be so fascinating and almost entertaining. I swear some of them even seem to wink or wave at you!!

To those of you who may feel prepared to venture into this realm of really testing Wildlife Photography I would say “Welcome!”. To fully equip you for the search your first homework project is to try to obtain copies of the three books that I feel are currently the most helpful on the subject. I am uncertain as to their availability as one or more may be out of print but if so then a search via one of the second hand book searching agencies may produce dividends.

These books are:-

• Grasshoppers and Allied Insects of Great Britain and Ireland by Marshall and Hayes. ISBN 0-946589-36-4 and published by Harley Books.

• A Field Guide to the Grasshoppers and Crickets of Britain and Northern Europe by Heiko Bellman. ISBN 0-00-219852-5 and published by Collins.

• A Photographic Guide to the Grasshoppers and Crickets of Britain and Ireland by Evans and Edmondson. ISBN 978-0-9549506-1-3 - Availability check with www.wildguideuk.com

Your second homework project is to assimilate as much info as possible from these 3 publications and then get out there and try to relate it to those delightful and sadly under recorded species that form the Orthoptera of the UK.

Good hunting!!

Brian Pettit.