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
44 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2018 Tip #8. Pay Attention to the Background When trying to keep track of focal point and depth of field while cursing softly under your breath at the wind and the spider that keeps shifting position, it can be easy to forget about what's behind your subject. Unfortunately, the background of an image can easily ruin a photograph, even if you get everything else right. A nice clean background, free of distracting blurry stems or leaves, can create simple, elegant images that highlight the insect itself. On the other hand, sometimes it's nice to include a background that shows the insect in its actual environment, creating a less studio-like photograph. In either case, the key is to make sure you're making conscious choices about how you want the background to look. If your camera has a "depth-of-field preview" button, use it to check out the background before you shoot. There are several ways to control the background in a close-up photo. The first is depth-of-field. A shallow depth-of-field will blur out everything behind the subject, creating a nice, simple image. However, because there are good reasons to maximize depth-of-field to ensure a sufficient amount of the insect will be in focus, this can create a tension. Again, there is no rule to follow here; just be thoughtful about the choices available to you, and if there's time, experiment with both shallow and deeper depth-of-field options. Background can also be controlled by your relative position to the subject. You can get down lower than the insect and frame it against a clean sky, for example, with or without a horizon line included. Sometimes, by moving slightly to one side or another, you can eliminate a pesky shadow or stray leaf that is creating a distraction behind the subject. In some situations, you can hold up your hand or hat to create a shadow behind the insect and prevent overly bright reflections from light-colored stems or leaves. Be very careful with this last strategy, of course, since both movement and shadows can easily spook your insect before you get the photo you want. Finally, you can control background by physically moving objects around to get them out of the way of the shot. I do this all the time, but there are ethical boundaries to consider. It's one thing to bend a grass leaf out of the way and tuck it behind another plant. It's another thing to tear plants out by the roots because they're in your shot. Remember that as a nature photographer, you're there to capture the scene, not destroy it. Plus, by the time you mess around with moving distracting plants out of the way, your insect will have flown off long ago. Tip #9. Take a Lot of Shots. Seriously. One of the greatest advantages of digital photography is that, unlike with film photography, clicking the shutter button costs you nothing but time to sort through the resulting images. In the case of insect photography, this is a huge blessing. Between wind, moving insects, depth-of-field issues, messy backgrounds, and all the other complications you're dealing with, getting everything right in the same shot is really difficult. It's not unusual for me to take 100 photos of the same insect (assuming it sits still long enough to do that). Within those 100 photos, I'm trying different angles and composition options, creeping gradually closer to the insect, and experimenting with depth-of-field and shutter speed. Above all, I'm hoping that at least one of the images will come back with the insect's eye in sharp focus, especially when that insect isn't sitting perfectly still. Take way more photos than you think you'll need; you'll thank me. Golden early morning light makes this photo of a ghost bee on silky prairie clover a winner.