Bugz Loc: Spanish Fort, Alabama

My Stuff About Macro Work

This 'stuff' comes from the mind of ‘Bugz’; I know all the good photographers have learned far more than this but sometimes I see beginners wishing for just such posts to save the time and wasted experience that would be required to learn how to start doing macro work. Hope this helps them. There are many exceptions to these suggestions . . . but all in all this is my practice:

(1): Plenty of light. Probably more important than stabilizing the camera. The more light the better for those faster shutter speeds and smaller apertures . . . However! An under exposed picture is far more easily post shopped than an overexposed picture. Don’t be afraid to use the flash even in daylight. Always try to force the picture any way possible with 100 ISO or the lowest possible ISO in all circumstances. The higher the ISO, the less the resolution.
(2): Absolutely stable camera. Use tripod, sandbag, prop, anything is better than trying to hand-hold a macro shot. Study and use the camera self timer; remote release; delayed shutter release (my D5200 NIKON has a feature to delay shutter opening for a split second even after the mirror flips). Turn OFF Vibration Reduction for shooting macros of still subjects.
(3): If shooting table top macro, be mindful of vibrations caused by fans, loud noises, floor shake, etc.. Let things settle before the shutter opens.
(4) If small aperture doesn’t achieve enough depth of field , back off and do the most perfect shot possible then try cropping later. I use a 105 Nikkor Micro and often have to do this little trick with larger insects in order to gain acceptable focus (DOF) over the whole bug body.
(5) One great advantage of digital photography is that we can shoot many attempts for a total cost of zero! When it becomes necessary to try macro work while hand-holding the camera, try setting the camera to take 3 shots in fast succession, then learn to wait for all three exposures to complete before relaxing and breathing again. You’ve got three chances of getting a fairly still shot. Just delete all unwanted stuff in the computer.
(6) Don’t sell your kit lenses short. I have the usual 18-55mm & 55-200mm NIKON kit lenses and have done some very acceptable macro work with both when conditions are optimal. Also I’ve learned that wild flower pictures from the driver’s window, using the 55-200mm often is very acceptable for this old 79 year old back. Just be sure you’re on a desolate road and turn off the engine if you’re going to use the partially lowered window for a prop. You’d be surprised what detail you can get of that pretty little wild flower across the road. Let the wife watch behind for the surprise approaching vehicle. Don’t irritate folks who may have a job just because you’re not in a hurry.

*****

Acanthocephalus sp.


Dorsal view of head of Acanthocephalus


Tarsus of Acanthocephalus

dragonswing Loc: Pa

Great info

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Encouraging,thank you!

Deb58 Loc: Upstate, New York

Thanks for posting!! Great info!

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Add to this that it is better to use a longer focal length and to be able to stay farther from subject. Short focal lengths tend to shade the subject, and they tend to scare away the subject.

And macro lenses tend to produce a flatter plane of focus than normal lenses. You can also add an extension tube to a macro lens to get the subject closer if need be.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

For any photographer interested in macro-photography, I invite you to view the UHH True Macro-Photography Forum at http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-102-1.html . This is the forum to ask questions or discuss macro equipment and macro techniques, as well as share macro images.

Before posting macro images to the Macro Forum, please read Introduction to True Macro-Photography Forum at http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-22447-1.html . Each & every thread must contain at least one true macro-photograph.

To place Macro Forum on your UHH home page, you can subscribe here: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/section_list.jsp .

revhen Loc: By the beautiful Hudson

Acanthocephalus? That's a family of parasitic worms. Could that be a stink bug? Pentatomidae, the family of shield or stink bugs. Got you by 2 years, youthful 79-year-old.

docshark Loc: Millersville, PA

Great shots Bugz. I've been working at this with my Odes especially terminal appendages for IDs. I guess I really need a lot more practice.
-Doc

Singing Swan

Thanks for all the good advice, but the thing that always amazes me most about macro photography is to discover how furry insects actually are!! :)

Bugz Loc: Spanish Fort, Alabama

revhen: ____ Wow, you are close enough to get an “A”! You are correct that genus Acanthocephala also includes those spiny headed parasitic round worms. That sparked an ancient memory of mine from academics in tropical medicine. I love the Greek and Latin roots. Your comment moved me to look into the Greek derivation of the word. Knowing that ‘cephala’ refers to the ‘head’, I moved on to ‘acantha’ which was still alien to me in its Greek root. It is rich in Greek mythology while simply meaning “spinous” or “thorny”. Acantha is found in nomenclature of both animal and plant life; and now I find, even architecture, furniture form, and Greek mythology. It was an exciting learning trip for me because of your post that sparked it. You’ll never find a worthy entomologist who will ‘brag’ about his expertise . . . because we are so often corrected by advancing changes in taxonomical methods and new found species. And besides, when over a million of the critters have been described so far, who could know it all!

Now to clarify my bug (and it IS a true ‘bug’ of the Order Hemiptera as opposed to other insect categories):

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Coreidae . . . (Not Pentatomidae)
Genus: Acanthocephala
Species: A. declivis
Binomial name
Acanthocephala declivis

One common name is “Pumpkin Bug”.
The antennae of the more commonly called stink bugs (Family Pentatomidae) have five segments in the antenna; this family, poor things, can only afford four. C’est la vie.

Thanks for your post.

Bugz Loc: Spanish Fort, Alabama

docshark; I love the dragonflies too. Been thinking of making a 'specific collection' of Odonata, but usually yield to 'whatever comes along'. More often lately if it moves, I chunk it in a big jug and take it home to photographic live. I'm learning that a live specimen gives a much preferred macro in most cases. Tks for the post.

revhen Loc: By the beautiful Hudson

Glad I stirred those "little gray cells" (Poirot). I am much more of an etymologist than an entomologist. As a "retired" Presbyterian minister who still does considerable preaching around, I get into the Greek to clarify certain passages. Recently (age 80) wrote a paper and delivered a talk on the music of the Beatles. All this and UHH keeps my little grey cells stirring.

P.S. I have a degree in chemistry from Carnegie-Mellon University so I have some scientific background.

Bugz Loc: Spanish Fort, Alabama

*****
Again you spark old memory: It was Professor Faye Erasius Guyton at Auburn (Polytechnic Institute for most of my academics) University who once told me: "Son if you ever hope to become a vast entomologist; you must first become at least a half-vast etymologist." Nothing ever more true.

revhen Loc: By the beautiful Hudson

Frankly I've met more people who have more in common with me than practically anywhere else.

Macronaut Loc: Redondo Beach,Ca.

@ Bugz, I'm curious why we don't see you over in the "True Macro" forum. It would seem all could benefit from collective experience :wink: