March 5, 2007: Lepidoptera, Interrupted: dead bugs gallery

Once again, it's Neatorama collaboration Monday!



If you feel like sometimes you're the windshield, but more often you're the bug, you'll love this set of award-winning photos from photographer Volker Steger. His gallery of dead bugs, retrieved from a plastic ersatz windshield after driving around in a car, is highlighted at this Spiegel Online story.



The article is in German, but one of Mr Steger's statements translates as

I find, the mosquitoes and flies look like pleased angels.

The photos are not color-accurate because they come from an electron microscope? That's what I take from this bit of Babelfish-translated conversation:

MIRROR ON-LINE ONE: How do such microscopic photographs function technically?

Steger: Only I dried the animals at air, afterwards then you are also scanned gold vaporized, so that they become electrically leading, and in a vacuum chamber with an electron beam. With these data one can produce pictures.

MIRROR ON-LINE ONE: And those see in such a way from as in the photo distance?

Steger: Not yet completely. The pictures are first black-and-white, I them later koloriert. I hope that one also sees, because I want to give the chance to the viewer to recognize that what they see is not completely material.

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Ever notice that dead bugs are never as cute as live ones?

Ever notice most of the live ones ain't that cute to begin with?

Sheldonrs;320216 wrote:

Ever notice that dead bugs are never as cute as live ones?

Really? I thought the opposite!

It's the pathos of the sprawled positions vs the candy cartoon colouring.

I can just imagine a little Far Side bubble coming out of the bottom one saying, "Oops, think I lost my guts there..."

Reminds me of a rather gruesome book I had as a child, written as the journal of a girl who caught fairies by slamming the book closed on them. It had the most awesome illustrations of squashed fairies on every page.

I don't think I want to eat them after they've been sputtered with gold, though. Perhaps as jewelry?

The bug on top looks like he's doing a Jolson impression. And none of them look terribly pleased to me.

Clodfobble;320229 wrote:

Reminds me of a rather gruesome book I had as a child, written as the journal of a girl who caught fairies by slamming the book closed on them. It had the most awesome illustrations of squashed fairies on every page.

!! gave that book as a gift to ... baby sister? daughter? It was a hoot!


EDIT: Lady Cottington's Fairy Album. Recommended.

The top photo looks like he's (she's?) holding a teddy bear.

Clodfobble;320229 wrote:

Reminds me of a rather gruesome book I had as a child, written as the journal of a girl who caught fairies by slamming the book closed on them. It had the most awesome illustrations of squashed fairies on every page.

That's hysterical! :lol:

Imagine the sick twisted mind came up with an idea for a book like that!

glatt;320269 wrote:

That's hysterical! :lol:

Imagine the sick twisted mind came up with an idea for a book like that!

Wasn't it one of the Pythons?
Or am I thinking of a more recent book....?
We bought something like that for my mother in law about 10 years ago

Lady Codrington's Pressed Fairy Book, by ex-Python Terry Jones and artist Brian Froud, better known for inspiring the creatures in "Labyrinth".

I've got to go and get myself a copy - I never saw the one bought for MIL otherwise I'd have adopted it... Looks great (am loving the reviews which call it cruel and gross - makes me want it more).

Ha. Had to be a Python.

This whole thread just bugs me for some reason.

Brianna;320363 wrote:

This whole thread just bugs me for some reason.

Maybe because it makes you flash back to insectuous relationships?

Its the bug equivalent of closeups of people who have jumped off of buildings...

Elspode;320371 wrote:

Its the bug equivalent of closeups of people who have jumped off of buildings...

I ain't scared. I just don't like working with kids or cadavers. ;)

Elspode wrote:

Lady Codrington's Pressed Fairy Book, by ex-Python Terry Jones and artist Brian Froud, better known for inspiring the creatures in "Labyrinth".

Hey! There was anti-fairy rhetoric in The Labyrinth too, Hoggel was spraying them with pesticide because they would bite you.

Clearly Froud is a fairicist.

Fairies are not the harmless and cute beings that many purveyors of children's entertainments and consumer goods would like us to think. Snarky little things, they are.

Elspode;320405 wrote:

Fairies are not the harmless and cute beings that many purveyors of children's entertainments and consumer goods would like us to think. Snarky little things, they are.

Not true! I've had some great times with Fairies! :D

These pics remind my of one of my kids' favourite jokes:
Q. What's the last thing that goes through an insect's mind when it hits the windscreen?
A. Its asshole.

Hey...I was gonna post that joke! Cept I was trying to think of how not to mention the whole Ahole thing since we're supposed to not use that sort of language on this forum.

Sheldonrs;320409 wrote:

Not true! I've had some great times with Fairies! :D

Yeah, but I'm talking about Fae, and you're talking about ghey. :D

Elspode;320537 wrote:

Yeah, but I'm talking about Fae, and you're talking about ghey. :D

They both look the same from behind.

Aliantha wrote:

Cept I was trying to think of how not to mention the whole Ahole thing since we're supposed to not use that sort of language on this forum.

[size=1]Um... we're not?[/size]

We're supposed to keep this forum G rated aren't we? That's my understanding.

The reason is so that more people will be able to look at it.

ah yes, the secret directive......

The very same

Aliantha;320569 wrote:

We're supposed to keep this forum G rated aren't we? That's my understanding.

The reason is so that more people will be able to look at it.

G for Ghey?

I'm impressed with the photos...they're like a new art form...plop-art?...also, you think fairies are snarky? Come to Minnesota, i'll show you some snarky mosquitos.

G for general I believe.