Digital Photographer - UK (2020-06)

Shooting plants and flowers is challenging

enough, but while they may be prone to

movement through wind motion, they are, in

most circumstances, fairly stationary. Insects,

spiders and other arthropods, as well as small

mammals like shrews, are an entirely different

challenge. Not only do we have to contend

with the fundamental technical hurdles of

the macro photography genre, but we also

have to be able to work with highly mobile

subjects that are rapid and easily disturbed.

If we attempt to move in close with a short

macro optic to achieve high magnification,

we are likely to activate the organisms’

alarm responses, which usually includes an

immediate dart for cover!

It is necessary to adapt our creative

approach even further to anticipate subject

behaviour, and make use of camera settings

that are appropriate for the shooting

conditions. For this we have a choice to make:

aim for motion-freezing shutter speeds at

the expense of background detail, or find the

idealshootin ositiontotakera id motion

push your

exposure duration as fast as possible, as you

might for other forms of wildlife photography,

but this is no guarantee of success.

Many insects move so quickly that, at the

close focusing distances likely in use, there is

little chance of rendering them sharp mid-

action. If this is your end goal it needs to be

planned from the outset, and requires yet

more adjustment to your setup, including the

use of high-speed flash. If you wish to capture

sharp images of a still subject it is better to

avoid causing it to move, and craft the lighting

for a stationary scene. This enables you to

lengthen the shutter speed by at least one

stop, thereby allowing a smaller aperture

for increased depth-of-field coverage. It also

brightens the background by permitting

more ambient light into the camera, which

generates a more balanced frame.

As for focusing, the techniques discussed

on this page cover almost any circumstance

where the subject is stationary, but if your

insect is walking slowly, consider focusing on

a single spot and waiting for the creature to

walk into the frame.

Work with

insects

Focusing tips

PREFOCUS

Whenanticipating

thatasubjectwill

appear,focuson

apredetermined

spottobeready

toshoot.

FOCUSMODE

Usemanualmode

toadjustyour

focusinstantly

basedonthe

subject’ssize/

orientation.

WHEN

TO SHOOT

INSECTS

Many insects are ectothermic,

meaning they must warm

their muscles with heat from the

environment before they can move

quickly or achieve flight. Looking for

insects early in the morning, when

they are exhibiting warming

behaviours, is a great way of

capturing sharp images

of otherwise erratic

subjects.

© George Hauxwell

CAMERASUPPORT

Usetripodswhen

prefocusing,butshoot

handheldwhenstudying

lessactivesubjectsformore

compositionalfreedom.

APERTURE CHOICE

Shoot between f/4 and

f/8 to ensure coverage

of the entire subject.

TECHNIQUES