but by the time I had my camera it had turned 180 degrees and right after this shot it flew off!

Thanks for the ID and tip!

I'm putting some material together and hope, eventually, to do an article. "Full back photos from the rear" is exactly the kind of phrase that's most helpful, i.e. descriptive and plain-spoken.

Do you have any more suggestions you could provide here or by email?

1. Head straight up. Angled photos or upside down jobs make it difficult to compare with pinned specimens (necessary much of the time).

2. For all species that "tent" or wrap the forewings around the body (many loopers, arctiids, tortricids, crambids and micros) two photos are best. First, a severely low lateral view showing the entire length of the wing along the costa (the margin along the leaf, wall or sheet). This is most important, but a full back or dorsal view is also a help. Think of it as top and side photos, but the side photo should capture the entire wing edge where critical diagnostic markings are often found (especially in tortricidea).

3. Clear, bright photos, and in focus, focus, focus. Use focus-enhancing software (FocusMagic works great) if needed. Most inexpensive digital cameras are soft in the focusing department. Recognize the fact that, if your white or yellow siding has a decidedly brown appearance in photos, you have a white balance or color adjustment problem. The insect is miscolored too.

4. If you can't control the flash to prevent beaching photographs then stop using it. There are other methods.

All of the above is of course personal opinion and entrenched bias, without intent to step on any toes. I use an inexpensive digital camera and have experienced all the problems listed above. I only recently learned about EV Compensation balance from Tony Thomas who kindly compared a couple of my photos. It really helps to use this feature whn dealing with very tiny moths.

Ooops! Almost forgot my pet peeve! NO, repeat NO rulers, coins, background grids, or signatures in photos. My personal bias is toward natural backgrounds, but plain paper, fabric, siding are all OK. I take almost all my photos indoors after chilling the moths, and release them after photography. So, my preference or bias works against me and I replace many of my own photos at MPG with ones taken by many people here at BG.N who manage, somehow, to work natural foliage into their photos (Tom Murray is a great example of this).

...you deserve a big Amen! Thanks, Bob.