Max those moths!
Claire Gillo takes a closer look with her Nikon, and reveals how to capture creative close ups of creepy-crawly creatures!
Find out a really easy (possibly cheaty!) way to get to great shots of moths and other insects with your macro lens
There’s a whole world ready to explore with your Nikon – all it requires you to do is come in closer. We’re talking about the world of macro photography, where you take stunning close-up photographs of small parts of large subjects, or tiny things in their entirety. There are numerous setups and countless techniques you can use to capture the minuscule wonders all around you.
To keep things simple we’ll be shooting using a macro lens and a collection of dead moths. It may seem a little creepy photographing dead insects but it’s actually much easier than trying to follow live ones around.
You can purchase bugs online from a variety of companies, but make sure you avoid the ones that are mounted to a presentation stand, as often they have been glued into place, so they won’t be ideal photographic subjects. If you’re on a budget then leave the housework for a few weeks and start collecting the ones that pile up in the corners! You’ll be amazed at what you can find when you start looking.
Macro photography usually means capturing the subject at a ratio of one
When it comes to macro photography the most important aspect is controlling the aperture. This determines how much of the subject remains sharp and how much blurs
to one or closer. In other words, the image on the sensor is as large as the real-life object. There’s no ‘correct’ focal length for a macro lens, and they range from 50mm to 200mm. In this tutorial we’ll be using a 105mm lens, which is good for capturing close ups of bugs and flowers.
When it comes to macro photography the most important aspect is controlling the aperture. This determines how much of the subject remains sharp and how much blurs. As we’re shooting at a very close proximity, even when we close down the aperture to a narrow setting the background will still soften. For this reason we’ll also need to consider the angle we position our subject. Let’s get started…