Small Considerations, Creative Photography Tips, and More Wheelbug Photos

Creative Photography Tips

Surprise surprise, I'm back again! This week I'll be talking a bit more about achieving creative insect photographs.
So if you don't like bugs, look away. Because I do. (If you missed it, this article also talks about improving the artistic elements of your photography.)

Wheelbug nymph, late instar

1. See Eye to Eye

Like I've talked about previously in my article, "How to take Great Pet Photographs with a Smart Phone," perspective is important in photography. Particularly when photographing subjects that are shorter than you, it's important to bend down and shoot at eye level. The last time I checked, most insects are shorter than even me, so getting your knees dirty is important here. 

The subject's eye, in clear focus, in a photograph allows the viewer to make "eye contact," and thus feel more connected to or invested in the photograph. If you don't believe me, try it. Do a google search for animal photography. Are you more attracted to photos in which you can clearly see the animal's eyes, or not?

Wheel Bug, late instar nymph

2. Know your diagonals

This is a trick I often see portrait photographers use. To make a static shot more dynamic, tilt your camera and shoot at an angle. The strong diagonal line of the wooden railing in this shot adds drama and movement to a photo that is, quite frankly, otherwise quite boring. The new angle forces the viewer's brain to reevaluate the subject and examine it more closely, resulting in a viewer who is much more engaged with your work.

Also notice here the eye contact the insect is making with the viewer.

Yup, more wheel bugs

3. Patience is a virtue

Particularly in nature photography, some of the most striking images come from simply waiting until something fantastic happens. I followed several of these nymphs along wooden railings through a forested area of a local park. Finally, this scene happened. If you've ever watched a wheel bug, you know that they have quite interesting behaviors. When threatened, they rear up on their hind legs and splay their front two legs out. These two guys (girls?) ran into one another and got startled.

I used the flash in this photo because I realized that I needed a fast shutter speed to freeze the action of the two insects in the setting of the dim woods. As a downside, you can see the "flattening" effect the flash has on subjects - which is why I don't normally use it.

So, what do you think? Will you try any of these tips?

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Thanks for reading!

Evening Walk

It's probably obvious to you, by now, if you've ever picked up a camera, that lighting is important. Many photographers wax poetic about the delicate pre-dawn light that waking up at 5:00 AM affords you. I can't disagree - the morning is beautiful. However, I feel that evening light is under-appreciated. Glowing and golden, it illuminates subjects in dramatic backlight or highlights textures of scale or fur. Plus you don't even have to get up early on your day off.

Taking advantage of the harsh evening light can make for some interesting portraits.

The sun has been blessed with Midas' touch and can charm even the most drab subject into bedazzlement.

Walkingstick - Phasmida

Of course, when working with subjects that are naturally flashy, strong evening light ratchets up their attire to an almost gaudy level. Here, I had to be careful not to overexpose highlights on this Japanese beetle.

Japanese Beetle (invasive)

Unfortunately, this sort of "magic" lighting fades quickly, so if you want to take advantage of it, you'd better work fast!

What's your favorite time of day for photography?
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The Strangers

There are a lot of bugs. A mind-bogglingly large number of species, an inconceivably immense biomass of creatures. Many of them are quite familiar to us - they buzz, bump, and crawl their way through our lives, either as pests, terrors, or pieces of wonderment. However, some of them are quite strange and foreign.

Antlion - Myrmeleontidae

Here is one I rarely notice - the antlion. Now, some of you are probably thinking, "that's not what an antlion looks like." This is probably because you are familiar with the larval form, which the pincered creature children often find hiding in tiny sandpits in playgrounds. It undergoes metamorphosis and then becomes this guy. It's still a rampant predator, even in its adult form.

Mayfly - Ephemeroptera, poss. Ephemeridae hexagenia

Here's one you're probably a little more familiar with - the mayfly. Similar to the dragonfly and the damselfly, the mayfly can be distinguished by the characteristic filaments protruding like a tail. They are famous for their incredibly short adult (winged) lifespans, lasting only a few days in some species.

I found both of these guys on the same day, while taking a brief hike in Fort Worth Nature Center. Both of them were resting on vegetation below eye level, reiterating the importance of looking down when insect hunting. Finding insects is a skill that improves with time and practice, as you learn the sometimes subtle clues that announce an arthropod presence. Admittedly, I know that this is not a skill many care to perfect, but, as a macro photographer, insects provide variable and interesting subject manner at finger's reach.

How do you feel about getting close enough to bugs to photograph them?

Want to learn more about bugs? Head over here for a brief lesson in entomology!

Sneaky Sneaky

One of the more amusing aspects of nature photography is the quest to locate your subject. Buildings and mountains don't move, you can ask people to pose for you, but if it's animal photography you're after, you must lurk and hunt and wait until the moment arises.
Many animals specialize in avoidance - venom, claws, or camouflage. For the latter group, finding them is, of course, no easy task. At the same time, leaning in for a shot of a flower only to discover a cleverly concealed crab spider can be a delightful (or perhaps alarming) surprise.
Indeed, we strive in many instances to highlight wildlife in photographs. However, for some species, demonstrating their concealment is more appropriate.

Lighting is key in the composition of this photograph. The light reflecting off of the leaf this anole is perched upon allows him to stand out against the green background. This photograph both demonstrates the efficacy of his camouflage and permits the viewer a detailed look at his lizardy form.

When I first came upon this caterpillar, whose texture and color matched the concrete he was walking across almost exactly, I was actually confused. What the heck was that thing booking it across the cement?

Oh, right, a bug.

You know how I love bugs.

At any rate, I am torn between loving and hating this photograph. On the one hand, I find it visually interesting, particularly because photographs essentially never show a caterpillar in motion. On the other hand, it is confusing to look at. The blurred elements of the photograph are almost more prominent than the sharp ones, obscuring, rather than highlighting, the subject. The sharp part of the image, the caterpillar's head, blends in with his background so seamlessly that it is difficult to distinguish them visually. So I'm still on the fence about this one.

What do you think?

A Brief Lesson in Entomology

As a nature photographer, I make it my goal to not only document, but also to learn about the creatures I am photographing. Knowledge engenders respect, and respect is an important element in the photographer - wilderness relationship.
It means that we think about our impact on the landscape, and not simply how we might get the most impressive photograph.
On a smaller scale, I believe that identification of subjects is educational and can sometimes even be of scientific interest. As a friend of mine once said, "I get angry when I don't know the names of things."
Laypeople often feel confused by the myriad of buzzing, crawling, and climbing critters around them and resort to calling them all "bugs."
This is all right if you are pointing to a critter on a flower and exclaiming to your friend, "look at that bug!" But, in the age of the internet, I know many of you will further be uploading images of said bug and would like to title it something accurate and informative. There are several websites which can help you with this, one of them being www.bugguide.net . But I will also try to help. Here is a common mistake:

Many people see this unoffending critter and exclaim, "Bee!" 

But this isn't a bee. This animal isn't even in the same order as a bee. This is a hover fly (order Diptera, for those who are interested).

This, on the other hand, is a honey bee (order Hymenoptera):

Here are a few things to look for:

-eye shape - a fly will have large, broad, flat eyes. A bee's eyes will be generally be smaller and set on the sides of the head

-hair: bees are generally much more fuzzy appearing than flies

-wings: bees actually have four wings, while flies have two (this can be hard to see though, as their wings are clear)

-antennae: bees usually have longer antennae than flies

And here is another kind of bee, a carpenter bee, for comparison:

Again, you can see his hairy body, long antennae, and offset, tall oval-shaped eyes.

I hope this was helpful and, as always, thanks for reading!

Photo info:

Nikon D70 + Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens