Wow , it has take far longer than I ever imagined to continue writing about Macro ..
I have done a few guides in the past , and I did promise a guide to using a flash in Macro ...
And I finally feel the motivation to do so .. I have at last begun the process ..

I am going to assume that readers understand the basics of photography , Aperture - ISO - Shutter speed , and that the reader has attempted macro and either met with some success or failure ...

Anyhow , the process has begun ...
So if you feel the need , post a comment , and possibly let me know what vexes U ...
Again this guide will be geared towards beginners ( possibly ) ...

[Na Horuk]

The biggest problem I find with macro is keeping the subject still. Bugs skitter in and out of the shallow DoF, flowers sway even in a gentle breeze.. what do you do to compensate for this? CiF? Burst mode and delete all the missed ones?

[old4570]

Movement = The bane of Macro Photography ...

1) Shutter speed - Keep it as high as possible .. A flash will help freeze some movement , but if there is too much movement then its very hard to defeat ..
Patience is a virtue , as is timing , in fact timing is everything .. Something to be learned ...

After a few thousand very average photo's you will know ...
I don't even attempt moving insects , you will have to wait till they stop and then be in a position to quickly take the picture ...
And if you are not in the right position , then you may scare them ..

I find you have to be close enough to be part of the scenery , close enough to take a photo when it presents , but not so close as to crowd and worry the subject ..
It can take 5 to 30 minutes for a decent photo to present itself , or be where there are lots of opportunity .

As for the breeze , yeah ! Been there almost every day ..
Again , highest possible shutter speed , and try to take the picture between puffs ...
If there is so much breeze you cant get a good shot , pack it in ...
Possibly get up early in the morning before the breeze picks up and take the flower pictures , or wait for a quiet day .. ( But flowers only stay nice so long )

Macro is probably the hardest form of Photography , sometimes the temptation is to go to landscapes ( I did like landscape photography )

Some people catch insects , freeze them , and then use them as static props ..
This way they can image stack , play around with studio lighting , etc etc

But I dont want to do that , I just stalk them , hover about and become part of the scenery and take a picture when it presents itself ..

[MikeD]

The biggest problem I find with macro is keeping the subject still. Bugs skitter in and out of the shallow DoF, flowers sway even in a gentle breeze.. what do you do to compensate for this? CiF? Burst mode and delete all the missed ones?

to help with breeze take an umbrella with you or something else you find convenient to block the wind, a larger sized reflector, white sheet with some clips etc.