Damsels with no distress
I have borrowed Q a Tamron 90mm macro to use with my Nikon D5600, but am struggling to get close to the damsels on my local pond. Should I use a telephoto lens instead? Dave Harris
Your camera has an APS-Csized A sensor, so the crop factor means your 90mm macro is effectively 135mm, which is useful when it comes to photographing easily spooked insects. That said, it doesn’t make it easy to get the shot. When it comes to photographing damselflies, they will often be quite active, making it hard to get right up close and get your shot without them flying off. But it’s certainly not impossible, and there are several things you can do to swing the odds in your favour.
As a rule, they’ll react either to your sudden movement or your shadow falling over them, so part of the key is to move almost painfully slowly and avoid getting between the subject and the sun. I’ll often focus from some distance back, then edge in very slowly, keeping a single active AF point on the insect. As long as the AF drive is set to continuous, focus will remain in the right spot. Doing this, even in quite bright conditions, I’ve managed to get as close as it’s possible to be with a macro.
The other option is to look for them earlier in the morning when they aren’t active. Hunt among the grass or bankside, and you may find them covered in drops of dew. Even as they start to move, until they warm up they will be very tolerant of you.
Of course, a telephoto lens is good for shooting damsels, and you are right that it allows you to stand further away, but it doesn’t allow you to get those crisp life-size in the frame images that a true macro will give you.