Insect Macro Photography Tutorial

When we look at an image in insect photography, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is not easy. But the fact is that it is not difficult but requires a little effort and some gear.

  In this insect macro photography tutorial, I will explain the crucial points in this style.

How to find subjects for insect macro photography

Insects are in our environment, but they are small, they are not visible to our eyes, and we must look for them. The best place to find insects is plants and trees. ( See the Fine Art Floral Photography post for watching photos of flowers )

You can look for them in the backyard or a garden. We usually have to leave the house and look for insects in nature. It would help look for the branches and leaves of shrubs and trees.

Insect macro photography setting

Most insects are motile and do not stay still for long. That’s why you have to be fast. It is better to activate your camera or lens stabilizer and use it if the camera has an animal photography mode.

If you want to use the camera’s manual settings, set the shutter speed to high values, such as 250. To prevent the camera from shaking and blurring the photo. But you may shoot in low light, and this speed will cause the image to darken. So it is better to use a wide aperture such as f/2, f/2.8 f/3.5 to prevent the image from darkening.

If the light is still not enough, you can increase the ISO.

The best angle for macro photography of insects

Photographers usually get used to photographing insects from above. Many insects have a variety of patterns and colors on their backs. But these types of photos were a bit repetitive.

If you want to take unique pictures of insects, try shooting them from a down low angle. This way, the details of the abdomen and legs will be recorded, and it will be more enjoyable.

The best angle of view from the front is to be able to depict the components of the insect’s face. Such photos are rare but have a significant impact on the audience. The face and eyes of the insect are not similar to other animals and are very diverse.

Best macro lens for shooting insects

Insects are often small, even smaller than a flower and a bloom. If I want to be honest with you in this tutorial, you should know that you need a macro lens to photograph insects to take good photos of insects by enlarging such lenses and recording the details of their limbs.

I must also say that not every macro lens is suitable for shooting insects. For example, most insects cannot be photographed with a macro 35 mm lens because the distance between such a lens and the subject will be 10 to 30 cm, and most insects will escape at this distance.

A suitable lens for photographing insects is a Macro lens with a 100 to 150 mm focal length. The insect is less likely to escape at this distance, and the magnification will be sufficient.

Conclusion

So what you learned in the insect macro photography tutorial was that in nature or the garden, you should look for insects among the plants and try to take pictures of them from the front or down low. It would be best to consider getting a macro lens and adjusting the shutter speed to a high level.