Stag Bettle (Lucanus cervus)
Castro Laboreiro, Peneda-Gerês NP, Portugal
A couple of
months ago, I was walking through an Oak thicket before sunrise and I found
this Stag Beetle clinging to the bark of a large Oak. This was an encounter
long wished for, so I stopped what I was doing – disassembling cameras,
flashes, cells, tripods, etc., which I had left during the night, in an
unsuccessful attempt at photographing nocturnal carnivores – and turned to this
priceless being. When the sun came up, its rays penetrated the thick foliage
above, providing the kind of soft light that greatly fascinates me.
Nikon D300 + Nikon 60mm f2.8 AFS
iso 200, 1/200, f5
