Who'd Be An ... Artomologist?
The Age
Saturday March 3, 2007
Meet Jane Davenport, the self-proclaimed world's first artomologist. An artomologist photographs insects, she says. "I photograph insects, or any multi-legged thing you might find in the garden, for a living. I've been doing it for about five years. All my studies have to be insects without a backbone - although I am considering breaking out into frogs. The insects are garden guardians. I photograph the insects that help the gardens. Stealth is very important when you are photographing insects - being able to sneak up on the little creatures - you see, you can't handle them. I sell the photographs at various niche outlets and outdoor exhibitions such as the Melbourne Flower Show. I do books as well." And undoubtedly you talk to the insects - and frogs? "Yes I speak Lady (bird)-ish, Martispan and Butter-slippery - they are the three main insect tongues. Soon I will be speaking Froggin. If you look after the little things, you are looking after the planet. I've never been bitten in the line of that duty. I used to be a catwalk photographer photographing human stick insects and butterflies - now I do the real thing," she says. -- DAVID WILSON
© 2007 The Age
