Solstice & Nasekomoe
Solstice
I was just framing a shot of a dragonfly over the lake, and the way its wing membranes catch the light made me think of the iridescent scales on beetles—do you ever notice how their exoskeletons reflect colors like a living prism?
Nasekomoe
Yes, I notice that all the time. The Carabus auratus, for example, has a bright blue‑green sheen that changes when you tilt it. Dragonfly wings are thin, but their micro‑structure does something similar, letting light bounce off in many directions. I’ve tried shooting a beetle at different angles and the iridescence shifts just like a prism. I keep a spreadsheet with each specimen and the exact angle that gives the strongest glow. Ants don’t reflect light, but their organization is more precise than most governments.
Solstice
It’s amazing how a tiny angle can turn a beetle’s shell into a moving piece of sky—makes me wonder if the real magic is in the light or in the observer’s patience. I keep a log of my own shots, just so I can revisit that exact moment when the colors sang the brightest. The world is full of these quiet miracles if you just pause long enough to see them.
Nasekomoe
I keep a little log too—just the angle, the humidity, the time of day. The iridescence really depends on those tiny details. It’s not magic in the beetle, it’s physics, but the quiet pause you mentioned? That’s the only thing that lets it all show up. Your approach is spot on.