How do people get so close to insects
 

I just do not seem to be able to get close to butterflies or most insects to get really good close ups. Are there any tricks of the trade? As soon as I get within 10ft they are off.
Thanks for any help
Vicky

I hope you are exaggerating about the 10 feet. There are some insects that are hard to approach but most will permit your presence. When approaching, don't allow your shadow to be cast over the insect. They tend to interpret it as a predator coming in for a kill.

I often use a 2x teleconverter with my 100mm macro lens. This allows me to work at a bit more distance from the subject. Sometimes I do this just to be able to approach the insect other times it is to keep my distance from a wasp or such.

With the macro photography, I often just sit myself down in a bunch of flowers or whatever and wait with my tripod, allowing the insects to approach me.

For non-macro photography, I use my Canon 100-400mm zoom lens. This allows some decent close-ups from 6-10 feet away.

Good luck!

The comment about not casting a shadow over the insect is really good advice. It almost always scares the insect off, and if it doesn't it's likely to mess up the light for your shot anyway!

I'm interested to hear that you use a 2x tc with your macro lens as I'd been wondering about trying this (though I don't have the tc yet). I use eth Sigma 105 f2.8 so assume I'd still retain auto focus with a 2x, do you know if this is the case?

I think the replies so far are spot on. approaching any wildlife most be down carefully. many people concentrate on moving quietly and then forget to plan their route to avoid shadow sent extra. a good knowledge of where the insects are going to settle and making sure you get there first is better than chasing butterflies.

Yes, my Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens + Kenko 2x teleconverter combination allows me to retain autofocus when used with my Canon 20D. The autofocus is slow and hunts a bit but it works.

What will happen with your lens on your camera body I have no idea. f/2.8 + a loss of 2 stops from using the teleconverter gives you a f/5.6 lens. Which, with many cameras, is the limit on autofocus.

But ... I never use autofocus with macro shots! Considering the razor thin depth of field that we work with at these short distances manual focus is needed to give the focus exactly where I want it. And, since I'm on a tripod anyway, it really is no problem.

I use the extremes of focal length for insects - a close-focussing 400mm and a 50mm macro but I employ a similar technique for approaching the subject with each lens.

Generally, I decide where I want to shoot from and get down to that level (it's usually about getting down low!) before making a final approach to the subject, checking lighting/shadows, backgrounds, etc., as I get closer so that there's a minimum amount of movement when I get into the final position.

Also, check all your camera settings are as you want them rather than have your fingers fiddling about just inches from the subject!

I have numerous butterfly pics like the one attached, move slowly avoid casting shadows.

Mind you it can be quite difficult holding an DSLR complete with battery grip and flashgon in one hand, with the flutterbye on the other.
300D + Canon 100mm macro and Sigma flash.


Harry

Not choosing the hottest part of the day can help (e.g midday). Insects tend to be more docile when it is cooler in the early morning or late afternoon.

Rob

I use a Sony f717, for which I recently bought a 2.2X tele conv. I did not like the minimum focus distance of 5 meters. I experimented with it using supplementary close up lenses, and was pleasantly surprised at the result, using different combinations I managed the following reductions. 2.6, 1.66, .9, .7, .5, and .3, and the quality was excellent. This may be of interest to those none interchangable lens camera owners, that have filter threads. Ernie

The most important thing is to observe your prey. With dragon flies there are two broad families, hawkers and darters. darters are creatures of habit, they patrol their territory but stop regulalry for periods of several minutes at one or two regular stopping points and can easily be approached to within a few inches without problems. Hawkers tend to fly all day, catching their food on the wing but rest overnight and can not fly in the morning until the dew on their wings has dried so you need to be up at the crack of dawn or try to capture them in flight (flash is useful here). Butterflies are similar to darters and will often rest to collect nectar for long periods just moving in a small area, as long as you don't cast a shadow you'll be OK. I always use a tripod as to get a dragonfly or butterfly pin sharp all over will require an aperture of at least f16, f32 for small butterflies such as the skippers or small blue where you will be working at an image magnification of 1. for these smaller insect a macro lens in the 180mm-200mm is ideal as you will still be working at around 12". For small dragon flies and damselflies such as the sympetrum and coenagrionidae which are around 2" long you will need to work at a magnification of around 0.5 with an APS-C sensor. but at the end of the day you need patience, I one stalked a green hairstreak for over 5 hours and still didn't get a shot. I will post some shots later.

That's serious dedication

Early morning or late evening as it's getting cooler can help - some insects rely on the warmth of the sun they are therefore less active at the begninning or end of the day. Obviously the point about casting shadows become more prominent at these times of the day.

One other piece of advice I would suggest is be careful where you sit and wait - last summer whilst capturing some close ups of grasshoppers I inadvertantly sat on an ants nest, I didn't notice at the time, being engrossed in the photography, I assumed the grass I was stting on was prickly - it wasn't until I stood up and started to walk away... I was wearing shorts at the time I hasten to add!

http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/...8Moth_7651.jpg

No butterfly or moth will fly forever, wait until they rest. Early morning or just before dark or even at night most of them will rest. This moth was taken with Nikkor 60mm macro. It was not 1:1 as the ccd is smaller than the moth, but it filled the frame.

Make every move slowly and try to avoid eye contact when possible... I usually spot them out of the corner of my eye and then slowly bring the camera up and slowly inch the camera lens towards them with eye to the viewfinder hiding my face as much as possible....Sounds corny but my rate of success with close ups doing this has been very good. Move slowly and be patient.. Remove jewelry including watch from your wrist that flashes. If you spot a patch of bushes or grass that has a number of insects buzzing around it, sit down be still and wait for them to return to the area or come out of hiding.....When something is in range move slowly in a non threatening way... Here are two examples of the results of this strategy..
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...ppersetc-1.jpg
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...de10060862.jpg
Take care and have fun.....Alex

Wow. They are some amasing examples there. Ive always had this question at the back of my mind and kept on meaning to ask but never did. Now if only i had a decant macro lens i would give it a go.

There are a number of methods you can use. Plant lots of nectar rich flowers, Nicotiana, Valerian, Sedums etc these attract lots of different insects, hover flies, Bees wasps, moths and butterflies.

Also you can use a sugar solution to attract certain species and placed unobtrusively near flowers is'nt too obvious.

Watch a particular clump of flowers which are really attarctive and set your camera up on a tripod pre focused, with all your settings in advance. Use your remote control to fire the shutter when the insects visit, this way any movement does'nt scare the blighters away. I get a a good hit rate this way.

With Moths try breeding some of the commoner species, Puss moth, Buff Tip, etc. The British Hawk Moths are particularly rewarding and very spectacular in all their stages. The Imago's are brilliant and will stay put, putting up with lots of moving around if you want a good angle.

Most important element though and you need it in abundance is patience!!

Remember all insects are living things however you may feel about some species,( I have an overiding fear of Earwigs) and they should never be put in the fridge, kept in boxes indoors under stress etc.

Good hunting.

Nogbad

Thanks Ollie on my part:D.... There are some terrific suggestions going on in this thread.... I will put a few of these not thought of practices in action as well.... Thanks to all of you.....Alex

This thread is a great example of why this forums good. Someone posts a simple question and we get so much helpfull advice and insparation. Certainly i would like to give it a go when i can get a good macro lens.

Vicky, you never said what type of camera you have and don't seem to have posted anything for us to find out, but in case you do not have all the DSLR lenses, can assure you that with the hints about how and when and a little patience, you can get very close to some insects some of the time.

With close up rings on a compact close up can be 10-25mm. Admittedly I am more usually after flowers including very small wild ones, but 80% turn out to have an insect in/on as a bonus.

Shadow casting normally spooks them but you can get pretty close. I use a Raynox DCR-250 on a FZ30 and work within a few inches. I gave up on a tripod as its too cumbersome, a monopod is less so but still an encumberance.

http://static.flickr.com/59/228646739_d82c05ebfe.jpg
Full size:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne...57594065969179

http://static.flickr.com/59/227543214_9c3fb1f9fd.jpg
Full size:
http://static.flickr.com/59/227543214_9c3fb1f9fd_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/69/218699057_b65578f927.jpg
Larger:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne...57594242330497

Mostly I find that they'll accept your presence and you can spend several minutes moving around most insects photographing from different angles. The main trick is to find your target species.

Very nice example walwyn.... Thanks for sharing these shots.....Alex

Expensive gear not necessary
 

I would like to say to all budding macro men and women, don't think you have to have a DSLR to achieve results like the ones shown in this thread. All of these pictures could equally have been taken with, for example, a Fuji F10 which can be picked up on eBay for about £50. You may well have to get closer and be a lot more skilful with your stalking, but it can be done. I know because I've done it.
Timedrifter

There should be a good discussion of ethics of that approach. I remember how the debate raged about refrigerating insects before taking pictures.

20 or 30 seconds is not quite long enough. I can spend more than 10 minutes with a particular insect. This shot was taken about one minute into a session with the insect:
http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...842&ppuser=472

this one was taken about six minutes later.
http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...719&ppuser=472

One minute apart on these two shots:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/overton...57600340691937
http://www.flickr.com/photos/overton...57600340691937

technique, technique, technique

If only I'd heard of these tricks of the trade when I was a kid running around mums garden with my Spotmatic and 50mm lens getting nothing but blur.
Would like to think i have slightly more patience now, but probably not much.
Much in admiration of dedicated people goin g for these shots.

The alternative is to confine them between panes of glass.

Don't be so defensive. The discussion of cooling insects for photography got quite heated on the Canon forums a while back. It also got heated about the use of live bait for photographing owls.

Hey the spray thing is a good idea - and yes there are billions of insects but don't you then get photos of insects covered in 'frost?

I am becoming passionate about macro work. Apart from anything else SPOTTING the insect is half the fun then the rest is working out how to get a good shot.