Digital SLR Photography

Master three top macro techniques with the help of award-winning pro, Ross Hoddinott

By Ross Hoddinott . Posted

If 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 tele-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, but the most costly option but at a push combine extension tubes to reduce the focusing distance of a 50mm lens.

All types of subjects photograph well in close-up, but surely the most impressive (and challenging) is nature. Spring through to autumn is the best time of year to find weird, wonderful and colourful insects to snap. And so, we throw down the gauntlet for you to try these three techniques:

SHOOT ON A DEWY MORNING: Insects tend to be calmer in the early hours of the day and after a cool, still night are covered in dew drops. These little water droplets add extra sparkle and detail. Look for dew-laden spider webs, too, to shoot their delicate strings of pearls.

Ross Hoddinott Photography Banded demoiselle-8313

CHANGE YOUR ANGLE: Insects often suit being photographed from a side angle or directly overhead – particularly butterflies and moths with outstretched wings. But instead try a worm’s-eye view or shoot head-on to emphasise the insect's head and eyes.

Ross Hoddinott Photography

TRY FOCUS STACKING: To get front-to-back focus of magnified subjects, try blending several images shot at different image depths to artificially extend depth-of-field. You can use dedicated software for this, automate the stack in Photoshop or manually blend the images.

Ross Hoddinott Photography Focus Stacking


https://www.rosshoddinott.co.uk

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