Agrilus cyanescens is blue all over — even underneath where it is often difficult to illuminate.

Literally! It’s hard illuminating a macro subject when light is at a premium. The typical heavy-sided illumination of many of my shots shows up here (due to the position of the flash), but you can also see how the underside of the beetle is very dark, even at the front where it is closer to the flash. This uneven lighting sometimes works to good effect, while at others it is a shortcoming. Reflectors can help brighten up a darkened underside, although that may require some crafty DIY solutions. (Which are not without peril, as I proved with the circular aluminum foil reflector and resulting cartoonish “googly-eyed” jumping spider photos that I “achieved.”) Twin flashes or multiple flashes are probably a safer bet for getting even illumination.