What is your shooting technique?
As you must be aware, besides the
subject, the background plays an
important role. In nature, it is often very
difficult to get a suitable background.
To get a natural-looking background, I
often use a large leaf, which can easily
cover my small subjects.My camera body + 70-300mm lens +
the extension tubes means that the
combo is heavy. Hence, as I mentioned
earlier, I use a tripod and a remote
release to avoid blurry images. I also
wait for the breeze to die down before
taking the shots. I shoot in Raw, and do
the basic editing like colour corrections
using Photoshop CS6.What inspired you to pursue macro
photography?
As a designer, I love colour
combinations and designs. Insects- the tiny creations of God –
are marvelous in their colour
combinations and patterns. I try to
capture every tiny movement of such
insects, which are an emblem of
beauty. The beautiful colours, their
design and their movement shows
how organised their world is.I would like to inspire people through
the beauty of insects. As normal
human eyes cannot capture these
things, I would like to show these
colourful insects to people through
my photographs.Tell us about your most satisfying
achievements in this genre of
photography.
One of my pictures was selected in
Pakistan’s top 50 photographers’
list. I also had a picture accepted in
a Nikon competition. A picture was
also published in Photographic Art
Society of Pakistan year book. My
pictures have also been published
in different international magazines
like Camerapixo (5 times) and
once on its cover, Wild Sojurns(India), Practical Photography (UK),
SHOT!, Life Force and I Am Zain have
carried my pictures. Another picture
was selected for the ‘My World in
Monochrome’ contest organised
by ‘The Photographic Art Society
of Pakistan’. I am also active on the
National Geographic profile with
pictures published in ‘Daily Dozen’.What advice would you like to give
budding macro photographers?
If you want to achieve success in
macro photography, be patient. This is
the only way! You need to understand
the limits of your equipment as well as
the nature of insects. If you treat them
like friends, then they will cooperate
with you.If you don’t have a macro lens, just buy
extension tubes. It’s a good and cheap
way to get closer to your subjects.
Always use a tripod and take care of
the background. Rely on your own
passion and patience. |SP© Yasir MehmoodBaby BatMASTERCRAFTSMAN
Yasir Mehmood
60 http://www.smartphotography.in
Smart PhotographyJanuary 2016