NYFalls.com Talk

Share your tips on insect macro photography here.

Very often I find myself crouching down on the ground, or leaning into a bush, in order to catch an interesting or colorful bug I have spotted. If you too want to catch the creepy and the crawly with your camera, here are a few basic tips that should help you out.

1. Patience
Seriously, insects may seem even more skiddish or unpredictable than any other subject you've attempted to capture! Move slowly, beware the fine line between as-close-as-possible-macro and too-close-it-flied-away, and always keep your eye on the bug, they may jump, run, or fly at any moment and you need to follow their path in order to setup your shot once again in their new location.

Strange spider. by cwwphotos, on Flickr
2. Steady!
The insects you are shooting are (hopefully) tiny, unless you've found one of the largest insects on earth. So normally you will be using a macro lens, and you'll want to reduce as much camera shake as possible. Use a tripod, monopod, beanbag, rest on a rock, against a tree, etc. to steady the camera while keeping your arms close to your body.

Decepticon! by cwwphotos, on Flickr
3. DOF
When shooting such small targets, you'll need to have a handle on your depth of field. Make sure your aperture isn't razor-thin so that you only catch a cross-section of the insect in focus. Aim to have either the entire bug in focus, or use the depth of field creatively to draw attention, or divert attention, within your image.

Faerie by cwwphotos, on Flickr

More to come as I encounter them.