Macro Adventures

Insect macro photography, like every other niche, comes with various challenges. Insects are generally very shy, and when they see a camera lens getting close, they often boot scoot and boogie. If they decide to stay, they rarely stand still, and even if it looks like they aren’t moving, legs, wings, and antenna are almost always in motion. Bugs will often turn their backs on the lens, and while I have some truly neat bee butt photos, catching an eye ball is usually the goal. And then, sometimes they get curious about who/what is following them.

Last week I was out stalking the local insects when I came across a new one. It looked a lot like a wasp. As I kept getting closer and closer, this bug started eyeing me up. Then it flew right at me and landed on my camera. It turns out it was a harmless Elm Sawfly, but for all I knew at that moment it could have had a giant stinger hidden away somewhere.

Some photographers eliminate these challenges by freezing insects to slow them down, or even killing them and then posing them. As I am a big believer in ethical photography, all my bugs stay in the state and environment that I find them. This usually means taking many many shots and accepting it when one gets away before I can get close enough or properly focussed. That being said, I’m perfectly willing to take advantage of a cold morning to search for torpid insects before they become lively again. I found this damselfly covered in dew drops on summer solstice.

Damselfly covered in morning dew drops