Chrisis a retiredchieftechnology
officer now living in west Cornwall.
His photography interests are wide
and diverse, including underwater,
landscapes and astrophotography.
Chris loves the outdoors and exploring the
coastline, local nature reserves and our beautiful
range of National Parks.
Chris’s kit: Nikon D750, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX
DG OS HSM, SP Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC
USD , Benro tripod and Benro geared head,
Manfrotto LED light panel.OURREADER:ChrisColyer
Rossis oneoftheUK’sbest-known
close-up and natural history
photographers and author of
Digital Macro and Close-up
Photography. He has won multiple
awards in Wildlife Photographer of the Year and
the British Wildlife Photography Awards.
http://www.rosshoddinott.co.uk
Ross’s kit: Nikon D850, Nikkor 200mm and
105mm, Wimberley Plamp, Lastolite reflector,
Gitzo Systematic tripod and Manfrotto 405
geared head, LED lights, f-stop gear backpack.OUR EXPERT: Ross Hoddinott
A BUG’S LIFE
LITTLEBUGSANDBEASTIESHAVEA HABITOFFLYINGORSCURRYINGAWAY
WHENYOUGETWITHINPICTURE-TAKINGDISTANCE.THATDIDN’TSTOPUS
ASKINGREADERCHRISCOLYERTOPHOTOGRAPHINSECTSFORTHIS
MONTH’SCHALLENGE.CHRISIS A MACROROOKIE,SOWEALSOSENTALONG
CLOSE-UPSPECIALISTROSSHODDINOTTTOGIVEHIMA HELPINGHANDThe (^) Photo Workshop
I
F YOU HAVE EVER tried to get a frame-
filling shot of a butterfly, bee or dragonfly,
you will already know how difficult and
frustrating it can be. Six-legged critters
are typically flighty, timid things that have
a tendency to vanish whenever you try to get
close to them with your camera. Many
insects have extraordinary compound eyes
and antennae that help them to detect prey
and danger from distance. They are
incredibly sensitive to motion, which is why
they can be so difficult to approach.
However, with a little patience and know-
how, great insect close-ups are within every
photographer’s grasp.
While some dragonflies and butterflies
are large enough to be photographed using
the long end of a telephoto zoom, most
invertebrates are small, and you will need a
close focusing lens in order to achieve good
shots (without the need to crop). A macro
lens is the best option, but also the most
costly. Macros are optimised for close
focusing and provide a maximum
magnification of 1:1 (life-size). They are
available in a range of focal lengths up to
200mm. The longer the lens, the larger the
working distance – in other words, you can
take close-ups from further away. This helps
reduce the risk of disturbing your subject,
but longer lenses are harder to handle and
use without a tripod. Unfortunately, using a
support is rarely practical when shooting
active subjects like insects, so a macro lens
in the region of 100mm is often a wise
choice – being long enough to provide a
practical shooting distance, but short
enough to comfortably use handheld.
If you can’t justify buying a macro, simply
convert one of your existing optics using a
close-up attachment. Reversing rings,
extension tubes and close-up filters are all
good, cut-price methods of getting closer
to subjects. Each work by reducing the
lens’s minimum focusing distance and thus
increasing the level of magnification it
provides. Basic, budget attachments can
cost less than £10, so there is no excuse for
not giving macro photography a go.
In close-up, you can reveal a whole
new world and showcase miniature beauty
that is normally overlooked. All types of
things photograph well in close-up, but
surely the most impressive (and challenging)
is nature. Spring through to autumn is the
b es t tim e of year to fin d weird, won der f ul
and colourful insects to snap. And so, we
throw down the gauntlet to self-confessed
macro newbie, Chris Colyer, to capture
three print-worthy insect photographs for
this month’s Photo Workshop. How would
he get on? Read on to find out...