It’s a small world…

Get amazing results using this simple macro photography set up

01 The set up

Lay down a piece of card (this will enable you to reposition the setup later, and provides background colour) and set a small stand on top – we used a small tripod. Peg your bug to the stand, and then mount your D-SLR onto a tripod. Position your camera roughly next to the main setup.

02 Let there be light!

You can shoot using natural light only, but watch out for shadows if you do. To light our setup we used a LED ring light that fits over the end of our lens, and gently fills in the shadows. If you don’t have one of these you can use a couple of torches, but again watch out for shadows.

03 Get your camera ready

Put your camera into aperture-priority mode and set the aperture to f/16. Switch on Live View and frame the image up so you’re shooting your subject from a side angle. Set the ISO to 100 for maximum quality. You don’t need to worry about the shutter speed as the bug is not moving.

04 Focus and shoot

Switch your lens to its manual setting and turn the focus ring to the minimum focusing distance. Move the bug into place by positioning the mat. When you think the eye is sharp, zoom in using Live View, and tweak for accuracy. Finally, take the shot using a remote shutter release.