Tips For Macro Insect Photographers
Insects, bugs and spiders make great photography subjects in that most people have easy access to them, and done properly the results can be quite spectacular.
Here are a few tips for anyone getting started in macro insect photography.
Camera Settings: Switch to manual focus and lock it off at the distance you need.
Then move back and forth until you find the sweet spot.
Experiment with macro rings and teleconvertors as well as your macro lens, and get a feel for the ways you can apply both magnification and zoom in a single image.
(When using zooms, watch for vignetting).
Switch to Aperture priority and use the smallest aperture for the maximum depth of field.
Magnification reduces your depth of field so you usually want to be using the fastest possible lens at maximum aperture.
Lighting Options: Pick your days for optimum light.
Bright overcast days are good and allow for faster shutter speeds.
Experiment with fill flash and reflectors to light your subject.
With fill flash, use only the bare minimum to even things out and store colour.
If your background isn't ideal, try using shades to darken problem areas.
External Flash will give you much greater control and better results.
Always diffuse the light and/or reflect it.
Bracket as much as you can and make a note of the settings you use, and get a feel for the best settings for your get at different distances and magnifications.
Experiment with a Tele-Converter after your Macro lens...
this allows you to get the same magnification from further away, which helps you light your subject more evenly.
Practical Considerations: Be patient and move slowly.
Study your subject and see how it behaves, then work out how best to capture it.
Decide on the most important feature - usually the eyes - that must be in perfect focus for the shot to work.
Get to know your subject before you start.
When are they most active? What do they do at night? What plants do they feed on? What behaviours or traits make them unique? Be aware of the background, depth of field and shadow areas.
Watch that your own shadow doesn't fall on your subject.
Most insects are very sensitive to temperature, so even your breath can cause the insect to take flight.
(Conversely, some beetles will freeze if you breathe on them, so make sure you experiment) In an open environment, give the subject time to get used to you before you move in.
Once you're set, move in shooting fast all the way.
Get lots of shots from different distances and angles, bracket your exposures and vary your flash.
Editing Your Images: Be super tough on yourself and be prepared to delete the majority of your shots.
This will be easier if you're totally clear on what you were trying to capture before you started, especially with regards the key feature of your subject.
Once you've deleted the images that missed the mark, you can do a lot of digital editing to strengthen the remaining images.
Most will benefit from some adjustment to the curves, contrast and saturation.
Strong images can be improved further with simple cropping and rotating.
On borderline images you can apply selective sharpening to your subject and blur the background as required.
Commercial Considerations: If you're planning to sell your macro insect photography, then it's worth taking some time to research both the market and the competition.
It should come as no surprise that competition is steep.
Virtually everyone with a macro lens will go looking for bugs to photograph at some time or other, and with a little practice and patience, most will do a reasonable job of it.
You only have to look through a few amateur photo sharing sites to see that there's just as many great shots there as you'll find on the more professional photo libraries.
In short, buyers are spoilt for choice when it comes to stunning insect macros.
You can stand out from the crowd though.
Mostly it comes down to shooting 'behavioural' shots as well as the 'portraits'.
Most macro insect photographers concentrate on the portrait type shot, so any time you can capture an image that reveals a behaviour or trait that make a species unique, you're getting something that most people miss...
and buyers can use.
The other thing most photographers don't do well is, identify their subject.
At best they might give their image a generic name like 'ant' or 'spider'...
which is no use at all to a buyer needing a specific species.
So always make sure you identify the species using it's full scientific name, plus any common names, and if you can add some interesting behavioural information as well, even better!
Here are a few tips for anyone getting started in macro insect photography.
Camera Settings: Switch to manual focus and lock it off at the distance you need.
Then move back and forth until you find the sweet spot.
Experiment with macro rings and teleconvertors as well as your macro lens, and get a feel for the ways you can apply both magnification and zoom in a single image.
(When using zooms, watch for vignetting).
Switch to Aperture priority and use the smallest aperture for the maximum depth of field.
Magnification reduces your depth of field so you usually want to be using the fastest possible lens at maximum aperture.
Lighting Options: Pick your days for optimum light.
Bright overcast days are good and allow for faster shutter speeds.
Experiment with fill flash and reflectors to light your subject.
With fill flash, use only the bare minimum to even things out and store colour.
If your background isn't ideal, try using shades to darken problem areas.
External Flash will give you much greater control and better results.
Always diffuse the light and/or reflect it.
Bracket as much as you can and make a note of the settings you use, and get a feel for the best settings for your get at different distances and magnifications.
Experiment with a Tele-Converter after your Macro lens...
this allows you to get the same magnification from further away, which helps you light your subject more evenly.
Practical Considerations: Be patient and move slowly.
Study your subject and see how it behaves, then work out how best to capture it.
Decide on the most important feature - usually the eyes - that must be in perfect focus for the shot to work.
Get to know your subject before you start.
When are they most active? What do they do at night? What plants do they feed on? What behaviours or traits make them unique? Be aware of the background, depth of field and shadow areas.
Watch that your own shadow doesn't fall on your subject.
Most insects are very sensitive to temperature, so even your breath can cause the insect to take flight.
(Conversely, some beetles will freeze if you breathe on them, so make sure you experiment) In an open environment, give the subject time to get used to you before you move in.
Once you're set, move in shooting fast all the way.
Get lots of shots from different distances and angles, bracket your exposures and vary your flash.
Editing Your Images: Be super tough on yourself and be prepared to delete the majority of your shots.
This will be easier if you're totally clear on what you were trying to capture before you started, especially with regards the key feature of your subject.
Once you've deleted the images that missed the mark, you can do a lot of digital editing to strengthen the remaining images.
Most will benefit from some adjustment to the curves, contrast and saturation.
Strong images can be improved further with simple cropping and rotating.
On borderline images you can apply selective sharpening to your subject and blur the background as required.
Commercial Considerations: If you're planning to sell your macro insect photography, then it's worth taking some time to research both the market and the competition.
It should come as no surprise that competition is steep.
Virtually everyone with a macro lens will go looking for bugs to photograph at some time or other, and with a little practice and patience, most will do a reasonable job of it.
You only have to look through a few amateur photo sharing sites to see that there's just as many great shots there as you'll find on the more professional photo libraries.
In short, buyers are spoilt for choice when it comes to stunning insect macros.
You can stand out from the crowd though.
Mostly it comes down to shooting 'behavioural' shots as well as the 'portraits'.
Most macro insect photographers concentrate on the portrait type shot, so any time you can capture an image that reveals a behaviour or trait that make a species unique, you're getting something that most people miss...
and buyers can use.
The other thing most photographers don't do well is, identify their subject.
At best they might give their image a generic name like 'ant' or 'spider'...
which is no use at all to a buyer needing a specific species.
So always make sure you identify the species using it's full scientific name, plus any common names, and if you can add some interesting behavioural information as well, even better!
