Ten tips for Better close-ups of insects

Know and respect your nature

The welfare of your subject always comes first, and a soft paintbrush is often the best way of moving insects as they can be very delicate. Different species also require different conditions, such as light, temperature and humidity.

Searching for invertebrates

Compost heaps and log piles are good places to find invertebrates. even indoors there’s plenty to see; in autumn, house spiders come looking for mates, so super photographic opportunities await!

Connect with your subject

For intimate insect portraits, get right down to eye level. This often means getting down on the ground, so there won’t be room for a tripod.

Key camera settings

macro lenses allow you to get very close to your subject. However, as camera-to-subject distance decreases, so too does depth of field. When lighting the subject entirely with flash, use manual mode, with f/16 aperture to get plenty of your subject in focus, a shutter speed of 1/160 sec and iso100.

Macro lens benefits over telephoto zooms

a macro lens gives far more magnification than a telephoto zoom lens. The working distance will also be less, allowing you to work close to your subject.

Flash setup tips

if the image is too bright in manual flash mode, turn the power down or move the flash further away. if using a diffuser, set the flash zoom to a wide angle setting to avoid a hotspot in the centre.

Off-camera flash

an off-camera flash cord or radio trigger will transform your flash photography. Placing the flash to one side of the subject creates shadow and, with it, texture. Hairy or translucent subjects look great with a flash behind them to create backlighting.

Freezing the actions

When using flash to light an image, the rapid pulse of light is usually sufficiently brief to freeze camera shake or subject movement, so you can handhold it.

Focusing manually

When handholding, set manual focus and rock slowly backwards and forwards until the focus is in just the right place. When using a tripod, zoom in to x10 in live View to check the focus.

Tripod for sharp shots

Tripods are great for outdoor macro with natural light as slow shutter speeds are often needed.