The challenge of photographing bugs

I enjoy photographing insects. That's one of the reasons whyI bought a macro lens. Ideally I'd have bought a 90mm or 105mm lens, as that would allow me to keep a distance from the subject.

I've already explained that financial constraints led to me buying a 50mm Sigma macro lens. Just because it isn't the ideal for working with insects doesn't mean I won't give it a go. This photo of a hoverfly on a flower is the best I've achieved so far.

The fly was relatively easy to capture because it was static and allowed me to get very close. This picture was taken at maximum magnification, 1:1, and the end of the lens with only a few millimetres from the subject. Fortuntately it chose not to move, allowing me several shots.

A motionless subject is a great help in macro photography. But there are still other challenges to deal with, particularly when working outdoors.

With this particular picture I had to deal with the wind blowing the plant that the fly was on. The wind was relatively light, but gusty, and it was enough to move the subject in and out of the focal range of the lens very quickly. I took about twenty photos from exactly the same position and this was the only one where the fly was in focus.

What is macro photography?

Macro photography is about making small items appear larger. Detailed close-up pictures, with larger than life subject matter, such as insects or small flowers, are macro photographs.

We live in a world built on tiny details. Some of like to capture this details in photos for pleasure or for practical purposes, or both. It makes sense to photograph your jewellery or coin collection for insurance records. A large of number of stock photographs are taken at a macro level, using every day objects to create memorable illustrations used in magazines or on websites.

For great examples of macro photographs, visit the Closer and Closer group on Flickr.

The term macro is not rigidly defined. Traditionally macro lenses were defined by their level of magnification relative to the size of the 'film plane', that is the size of the negative or now the digial sensor. The ideal was regarded as 1:1, where the camera was capable of focusing on a subject so close to the lens that it was life-size on the film plan.

A good way of describing this is to think of large postage stamp, which is typically a similar size to a 35mm negative. A macro lens with 1:1 capability can focus on the stamp at a point where the image fills the entire view-finder, meaning it fills the negative or the digial sensor. When the negative is processed and turned into a 6"x4" print, the stamp will be massively magnified.

In recent years the term macro has come to mean the capability to focus on a subject close enough to appear life-size on a standard sized print. In real terms this represents a magnification level of only 1:4, which is much less than 1:1.

There's an incredible fascination with seeing the world through pictures captured with a macro lens. Tiny details erupt into view, almost invisible to the naked eye but exposed by the magnifying capabilities of the macro lens. For the newcomer it's a whole new realm of photographic opportunities.