Macro Stacking. Focus stacking is a very useful technique for increasing your depth of field while still maintaining an appealing level of background blur. The focus stacking tutorial creates a solid foundation for the technical aspect of stacking. Armed with this knowledge, we can explore a method to photograph flowers through refracted dew droplets. Chrysanthemum refracted through a dew droplet Required Items You will need the following items to create these photos: Camera Macro lens Flash (preferably off-camera) Dry mat (optional, but recommended!) Cameras set up with off-camera flashes and custom diffusers The photo above shows my typical macro flash setups. You're going to need to be shooting at around 2:1 to get close enough (68mm of extension tubes on a 100mm macro lens is fine), although I'm normally shooting at about 3:1 with my MP-E 65.
Technique Set your flash to E-TTL and Flash Exposure Compensation to its normal position (+1 FEC with the 430ex). Side droplet refractions in sharp focus. Flying Kiwi Bug Macro Photography Tips. An early choice you'll be faced with is whether or not to use a flash. Insect photographers tended to be very strongly polarized between those who insist on taking photos with only available light, and those who use flash on almost all of their photos. There are a few souls who make an effort to balance available light and flash, but they're definitely in a minority. For the record, I fall into the flash camp and all of the photos on this page were taken using flash! The primary issue in The Great Flash Debate is depth of field.
Whichever approach to insect photography you take, you'll find that it's very difficult to get an entire insect sharply focused - either the head is focussed or the wings. This might seem strange, but it's a consequence of the amount of magnification which you need to fill the frame with your insect. Those in the flash camp say, "OK, then, I'm going to shoot at f32 whenever I possibly can".
An additional issue for Available Light photographers is white balance. Beautiful Bugs: How to Do Macro Insect Photography. How to Do Macro Insect Photography by Frank H. Phillips, ©2004, All Rights Reserved, see © notice at bottom Despite their reputation as pests, the trillions of insects, bugs, and spiders that inhabit the Earth can make some of the most fascinating and dramatic close-up photography subjects. Insects and their tiny environments offer the macro photographer an unlimited amount of color, texture, and physical architecture to explore.
They are as unique as we are, and they are obviously much more plentiful. As an added bonus, you won’t even have to get a “model release” after you’ve photographed them! During most months of the year, bugs can be found just about everywhere, and most make very willing subjects…if you just learn how to find, approach, and compose them.
If you want to go beyond typical close-up insect photography with your SLR, you’ll be entering the world of true macro photography (called “photomacrography”), and dedicated macro equipment will be necessary. How to Photograph Insects | Photography - PopPhoto.com Offers Camera Reviews and Exclusive Photo Tips. Christopher Badzioch proves that it's not always the most expensive and specialized gear that makes a great photo -- it's the eye, vision, a sharpie marker, some electrical tape and a cheap homemade sweep that really matter when it comes to making amazingly detailed, dramatic insect "portraits. " Badzioch, an amateur photographer originally from Opole, Poland and currently residing in Bristol, Conn., has been sharing his unique insect shots in the PopPhoto.com Reader's Gallery and we are so impressed, we asked him to shed some light on his magical techniques.
The photos in this story were all captured with basic macro lenses -- not with bellows and rails or other super-advanced specialty gear -- meaning with a little practice and patience, you too could soon be making your own dramatic insect portraits! Getting Started: A Little Bit about Bugs Learn a little about your subjects and their habits to know when it is best to capture photos. • There is not just one bee or fly out there. Canon Macro Lens and Close Up Lens Attachment.