INSECT AND WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS — HOW TO TAKE GREAT PHOTOS

If you love photographing the beauty of nature, then here are some useful tips to help you better photograph animals and insects.

Often when we think of wildlife we think of animals far away from home, but many people take amazing wildlife photos in their own backyards.

Photographing the World of Insects

Wildlife photography also includes the miniature world of insects. Honeybees, dragonflies, butterflies, bumble bees, spiders, and even snails are all popular subjects.
Like animals, photographing insects can be challenging.

Here are some tips from the pros to help:

• Use backlight

Backlighting really suits insects, as it tends to highlight their form, detail, and intricacy. It particularly suits the translucency of butterflies. Low early-morning or late-evening light is perfect for shooting backlit subjects — the light’s quality is warmer and softer too. Position yourself carefully, so you sandwich your subject between the light and your camera. TTL metering can be fooled in tricky light, so check your histogram and apply for positive exposure compensation if images are underexposed.

• Get up early and stay out late

Insects are at their least active and most approachable early in the morning and late in the evening when their bodies are cool and they are generally settled. Butterflies will roost among tall grasses or on flowers, while damselflies and mayflies will settle among reeds close to water. Tread and search carefully. Once you’ve located a suitable subject, you should be able to get within the best distance to take a picture relatively easily. You may even be able to set up a tripod, which will greatly aid with framing and focusing.

• Keep it simple

In all my years of experience with shooting wildlife, I’ve found that the best insect close-ups are simple in their construction. To help your subject really stand out, opt for a clean, diffused backdrop, free of clutter or distraction. You could photograph insects with the distance between them and the surroundings: for example, select an angle where you can contrast them against the sky, water, or distant foliage. Also, set the largest practical aperture to help throw your subject’s surroundings attractively out of focus.

• Maximise depth of field

Depth of field is inherently shallow at higher magnifications. To help maximize the zone of acceptable sharpness (for any given aperture) try to keep your camera parallel to your subject. Why? Well, there is only one geometric plane of complete sharpness, and you will normally want to place as much of your subject within this plane as possible. If you hold your camera at an angle in relation to your subject, wing tips and tails will quickly drift out of focus.

• Pristine subjects

In close-up, even the smallest imperfection will be highlighted. Therefore, it is normally advisable to only photograph insects that are in pristine condition. Butterflies lose some of their vibrancy and wings tend to get damaged as they near the end of their adult stage. Try to photograph insects within days of their emergence. By researching the life cycle of potential subjects, you can plan to visit suitable habitats at the right time of year.

• Stalking subjects

During the day, when it’s warm and insects are busy, shoot handheld. It can be frustrating stalking insects, so be patient and persevere. When you move into position, try not to disturb the surrounding vegetation, and avoid casting a shadow across the subject. Increase ISO to generate a sufficiently fast shutter to eliminate camera and/or subject motion. I would recommend a minimum speed of 1/250sec when working handheld in close-up.

• Capture behaviour

Try to capture elements of insect behavior. Dragonflies are difficult to capture in flight, but it can be possible using a long telephoto and shooting continuous bursts with a fast shutter. Mating butterflies and damselflies add symmetry or shape to compositions. In the spring, you’ll find damselfly larvae clinging to reeds by the water’s edge and hatching into their adult form. Close-ups of dragonflies or spiders devouring prey can also be fascinating.

Kit list

• Telephoto macro-A telephoto macro is ideal for insects. 100mm and above will generate a larger working distance from the subject and minimize the risk of disturbing your subject.
• Small LED Small LED devices, like Manfrotto’s Lumimuse range, are great lighting aids. They can be camera-mounted or handheld. With a continuous light source, you can preview the effect before triggering the shutter.
• Geared head the design and type of tripod head you use are down to personal taste, but personally, I favor a geared head for close-ups. They allow you to make very precise micro-adjustments to composition, which suits the fiddly nature of close-up work.

Photographing Wildlife with Feathers or Fur

Depending on where you live, there are many ways to turn your yard into a wildlife haven for squirrels, raccoons, birds, deer, frogs, and other critters.
If you want to feed wildlife, don’t feed them food from your cupboard but instead follow the wildlife attraction and sustainability tips from the National Wildlife Federation so you can be sure you’re helping them and not hurting them.

By following the advice from wildlife experts, you will also be creating an environmentally friendly landscape that will be good for the animals and the environment.
Take a bit of time to read about the habits of the species you want to photograph and you’ll find it much easier to capture them with your camera. And by being educated about the species you want to photograph; you can also minimize the chance of attracting dangerous predators into your yard. You should also look at the code of ethics for professional nature photographers on the North American Nature Photography Association’s website (nanpa.org).
Just as with photographing pets, when you take a picture of a furry or feathery wild critter, follow these guidelines:

• Use natural lighting to your advantage
• Fill the frame with the subject
• Focus on the eyes
• Shoot from various angles
• Capture personality