NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/985091
42 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2018 Tip #4. Use a Tripod Tripods can be unwieldy, especially when you're trying to photograph something close to the ground in dense vegetation. However, the added stability of a tripod has enough advantages to outweigh the hassles most of the time. When trying to maximize depth-of-field, you'll often need slow shutter speeds, and that can make it hard to hold a camera steady enough to avoid blurry images. A tripod can solve that, especially when you control the shutter remotely, either with a cord or a radio-controlled trigger. In addition, however, a tripod can minimize the number of factors you are trying to deal with when taking insect photos. With a shallow depth-of-field, a camera movement of just a millimeter toward or away from the insect can cause it to go out of focus. A tripod helps reduce movement of your camera so all you have to worry about is the wind and the movements of the insect, which is plenty. Sometimes, when an insect is moving quite a bit, or the wind is blowing its perch around, I'll fold my tripod legs together and use it as a monopod. That way I can move with the insect, but still control camera shake and give myself a reasonable chance of getting that little stink bug in focus. Tip #5. Make Your Camera Squint Maximizing depth-of-field in macro photos means using small apertures (higher F-stop numbers). The effect is like squinting at the alarm clock without your glasses or contacts, or to just see something more clearly. When photographing insects, a larger f-stop number means more of the insect will be in focus (large f-stop number equals a small hole for light to pass through). The trade-off, of course, is the need for slower shutter speeds. Even with a tripod, there will be many times when an insect is moving enough that a shutter speed of 1/30 second or faster will be needed to freeze the action. Faster shutter speeds limit how much your camera can squint, especially in low light situations, so balancing aperture with shutter speed is always in the mind of an insect photographer. Tip #6. Perpendicularity is Good One way to limit frustration with depth-of-field is to position yourself so the insect is as perpendicular as possible to the camera. The flatter you can make the subject, the more of it will be in focus. Depending upon the situation, it's not always possible to control the angle from which you photograph, but sometimes just moving yourself a few inches one way or the other can make a big difference. If you can, think about the angle you want before you approach the insect. That will limit how much fiddling around you'll need to do when you're within shooting range, and will increase the chance of getting a photo before that butterfly flees the scene. Tip #7. Aim for the Eye When we look at other people our eye is automatically drawn to their eye(s). The same is true with insects, even if their eyes might look different (or be more numerous) than our own. If you can see the eye of the insect you're photographing, make sure it is in focus when you take the picture. Even if the majority of the insect is out of focus, get the eye sharp and the photo will likely work. Only on rare occasions is there a more appropriate focal point than the eye. In addition, although depth-of-field issues can make it tricky, don't be afraid to try for intimate face-to-face images of insects. If you don't scare the insect away (and you probably will) you might get a truly great photo.