Specimen

Specimen is a personal project of mine which was published in Freque Magazine vol. 15. 

Insects are to us both beautiful and awful in their strangeness. We can't help but get close, pinning their bodies in place to see the extended wings of a rhinoceros beetle or the vibrant color of a butterfly's  wings. This series explores and celebrates the beauty of insects. I imported bugs, had them pinned (after unsuccessful attempts where I nearly rubbed off all the scales of my first butterfly), and photographed them using a macro lens. I then arranged for a studio and shot the model. Both images were edited separately before editing them together in order to create a more cohesive feeling.