[jmerchant]

But how do you get so close without the bug skitering off, especially flies and the like...I get close and everything scatters...What's the pro tip here?

[carrrlangas]

not a macro shooter. But, I can say this: Nature tends to be cyclic, even animal´s behaviour. So if you fin a place with an interesting specimen, lay / sit / stay still there at shooting distance. If it flies away chances are it will come back eventually. And then you´ll be part of the scenary so you won´t scare them. Other option is to get close very slowly, in small steps, taking care not to make noises or generate vibrations on leafs, grass, wind and not making a shadow over the animals.

[BrianR]

Shoot dead insects.

Shoot in the morning when it's still cold and they haven't started moving yet. Some people will also refrigerate insects to slow them down.

Watch flight patterns and camp out near common perches. Wait quietly and patiently for them to return, camera at the ready. If they're perching on a small enough area, you can set up the camera on a tripod and hide yourself in a more comfortable spot further back with a remote.

Move slow and keep trying, sometimes you can just get close to an insect without worrying it if it's busy cleaning itself for example. Given time you'll start to get a feel for which species will tolerate your presence at what distance.

Go to a greenhouse- many dragonflies, bees, butterflies etc. will fly in, get trapped, and exhaust themselves trying to get out. Gently remove the exhausted insects and place it someplace photogenic. If it stays, shoot away, if it flees, oh well, you saved it from probable death so be happy.

Shoot caterpillars, snails, slugs, or other insects that move much slower than you do.

Patience is always important, except in the case of dead insects.

[jmerchant]

Great info guys, keep it coming!

[jimr-pdx]

Definitely some stalking involved for many of them. One of our late-summer chirpers was close, and I kept moving closer until the sound stopped. Once it started up again I'd shift a little closer, and repeated this several times. In the end I got a shot. Man these things are loud when you're that close!

This was the 17-70 Sigma, so close but no 'macro'.

[EllenJ]

I'm just a beginner, but isn't a major factor the longer focal length lens? I mean (ideally) a macro lens over 100mm or so, which puts you at least several feet away. For situations where you can get closer, the ideas posted here are good. I have a small collection of shots of insects having sex -- they tend not to mind my presence.

[BrianR]

Yes, for moving targets a longer working distance is usually desirable. The DFA 100mm macro set to 1:1 magnification is focusing at 30cm, giving a working distance of about 13cm (the distance from the front part of the lens to the subject). The DA35/2.8 has a working distance closer to 3cm. Reversed lenses also end up with very tiny working distance. More distance means it's easier to not scare stuff and also gives you more room for lights, reflectors, etc.

A telephoto lens with a close minimum focusing distance might be sufficient to fill the frame with some of the larger insects. Depends on the lens, bug, and what you're trying to do.

[photolady95]

Shoot dead insects.

I don't believe in that. Shooting dead insects are easy but that is about all it is. Live insects are sometimes harder to get them to pose for you but at least they have their true colors.

And being sneaky doesn't always work either for some insects, they'll hear you no matter how silent you think you are. But patience is the virtue here. Some files will return to the same spot if you happen to scare them when you first walk up or crawl up to them.

One thing I do to minimize my presents, is I wear muted colors, and no cologne or perfume or smelly deodorants. Walking quietly some times works but like Jim R said, walk a bit, stop and stand still, wait, then walk a bit more. Most often you can get the shot then.

As for focal length, I've used shorter ones, i.e., 50mm and closeup lenses, got some pretty impressive macro shots with this set up. I've also used my Pentax 18-55mm DA ll lens with those closeups and/or my homemade extension tube, coupled with a lens I took from a broken lens attatched to a step up ring with electrical tape, to keep it in place.

My Sigma lens I previously owned had a Macro setting on it, I used this to capture Dragonflies, Damsil flies, and grasshoppers. It's not true 1:1 but more like 1:4, and with crop works okay, when you can't get real close to the insects.

[BrianR]

I don't believe in that. Shooting dead insects are easy but that is about all it is. Live insects are sometimes harder to get them to pose for you but at least they have their true colors.

For run of the mill macro shots I'd agree shooting dead insects that happen to have died in an ok pose is easy (I've carefully snuck up on more than one dragonfly, pleased with my cat-like stealth until realizing it had already perished). I think it's worth mentioning that for the extreme close-ups of dead insects, the kind that Nass puts up for example, take the technical aspects of macro shooting to another plane of existence, one that I can only view from afar. These also take a different kind of patience and determination than live targets.

I'll also say that run of the mill dead insects make good targets for practicing your lighting setups and focusing skills, even if the critter is in an ugly pose.

[photolady95]

I just don't believe in killing insects to get a photo of one. And that was the reason for my posting above. If you stumble across a dead insect, then taking it's photo would be okay but, as to me that takes all the fun out of shooting insects. I like crawling around on the ground, or slipping up to a Dragonfly or Damselfly to get the shot. The wings on these insects sort of make the shot too. As with Butterflies, their wings are part of what they are. If they're shot when dead, you don't see how delicate those wings are, or the beauty of them either.

[hangman43]

Moving slow and making sure your shadow does not fall on the subject helps a lot

[Liney]

Haven't tried much macro work with insects yet, but how about puting out something that will attract them and get them to come to you? sugar water or something sweet and sticky might attract some bugs, bright flowers would attract others. I guess what might be worth looking at is where the bugs tend to congregate in your garden and work out that they are looking for

[chuckp8]

It might be terrifying for them, but I'll capture some bugs if I can't get to them in their natural habitat.

For jumping spiders, I'll set my camera up in a well lit location outside, then I use a wine glass to scoop them up. With a 100mm macro and extension tubes, even the slightest movement puts the subject out of focus, so instead I'll leave the camera on it's tripod and move the glass to get the spider in focus. It's maddening because they rarely stay still for longer than a fraction of a second, but every once in a while, magic will happen.

I've just picked up a ring flash, so it may help me speed up my shutter speeds, but I've been pretty lucky with what I've been able to capture so far.

[hangman43]

Haven't tried much macro work with insects yet, but how about puting out something that will attract them and get them to come to you? sugar water or something sweet and sticky might attract some bugs, bright flowers would attract others. I guess what might be worth looking at is where the bugs tend to congregate in your garden and work out that they are looking for

I have used honey mixed with water with decent results for wasp and bees

[Nass]

Beyond having the right equipment, the main thing is to have patience and take your time. By right equipment I mean a long focal length with maybe some tubes, so you don't have to get too close. Insects seem to have a 'zone of awareness', as in as soon as you get within 'x' cm off they go.

Knowing their habits and patience really works well here, but also some obvious basics. For example don't block off the light when you approach. Blocking off light is a major signal that something is coming at them - try coming at them at their headheight rather than from above.

Knowing their habits and reading up about them is a good thing. For example some insects like to perch, and looking for good perching spots will find them for you.

Food and lures are old established methods - here is a whole list: attracting insects. There are all sorts of other methods like pheromones as well, or even things like insects traps. There is a lot of material in this section here: finding insects.

Temperature plays a definite part in insect activity and early morning is a good time to find them when they don't fly away. You can even make your own machine to generate a low temperature (on my todo list but never enough time)

Preparing dead insects and doing a stack is a different challenge but takes a much longer time and requires specialised hardware and software. Stacking preserved specimens is not nearly as easy as shooting macro in the field though. I can spend 1 hr doing macro in my garden and usually manage a few decent shots out of it. 1 decent stacked shot of a preserved insect, including all the preparation, you don't get much change from 4-8 hrs.