Last night I was on my deck with a big portable halogen lantern, trying a new technique called light painting, which involves “spraying” beams of light across a scene at night during a long exposure.

The results were not exciting. I stood there, flicking my hands at all the bugs that were drawn to the lantern, debated whether to put on some bug spray.

Then I looked down. A big beetle was lying on its back, apparently dead. I crouched over it and looked at those fine joints in its legs, the gloss of its shell body. Started shooting.

Two and a half hours later, I had some photos that I could love. The artificial lighting really helped – not for what I thought, though.

These bug photos will not sell very well as decor, but they are about illuminating the life of the night.

And the beetle, it turns out, was alive. When I tried to pick him up, he wiggled back to his feet and stalked off into the night.