This last few weeks of extreme weather has resulted in a lack of bird life activity in the Hunter area, and very quiet in our wetlands.
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So this week I thought it would be a good time to have a look at photographing insects, and how to approach them.
Like our bird life they somewhat scarce at the moment - again due to the conditions - but this will change if we get good falls of rain.
To photograph insects successfully certain practices have to be adopted - a good quality camera, a macro lens that focuses to life size, a tripod that can be used at ground level, and a pair of thigh waders so you can get low on the ground in wet conditions, and also to wade in swamps. You’ll also need a flash system, I always use two, one for back light which also gives your subject better separation.
When you go out looking for insects, be prepared to spend time hunting through the bush for subjects. Once you find them take a few seconds to assess the situation.
Will the subject take off with any disturbance or do you have time to set up? We will assume you have time, so make sure while setting your tripod that the focus is sharp and that it is in the same plane. You don’t want head sharp and tail out of focus, so take care that the whole image is sharp.
Also check your background, remove any distractions and check your exposure. This is most important.
No doubt you will encounter situations where you do not have time to set up - for instance a robber fly with prey – and so you’ll have no choice but to go for it hand held, lying on the ground stretched out. When this is the case, here’s what I find works best.
Set your camera on manual, small aperture, say F11. This gives you reasonable depth of field. Set your flash to manual, say 16th power - as you are working in close this will freeze any movement.
Next, take a dummy shot close by to check exposure. Okay, now go for it. Crawl in close, move about as close as required, take heaps of shots. If you are lucky some will be crackers.
No doubt this is all worthwhile and gives you a great deal of satisfaction when you end up with some great images, especially insects you do not see every day.
I have included a few images from last season, one with the paper, the others to be viewed online. Enjoy.
