urban jungle: summer bugs

Photographs and text by Elliott Neep
Copyright © Elliott Neep Wildlife Photography (ENWP)

Photographing these tiny creatures requires just a little patience and a calm, collected approach. It also helps to have a true 1:1 macro lens* but there are alternatives. Less expensive options are teleconverters, extension tubes, and ‘reverse adapter’ rings for your existing optics. They all increase the magnification of your lens bringing you closer to life-size magnification or 1:1. Many point-and-shoot digital cameras have an in-built macro option with their zoom lens. For the larger species such as dragonflies, telephoto lenses like the 300mm f/4 cope very well indeed as they have a relatively short minimum focus distance.

*The term ‘macro’ is regularly used to promote lenses and cameras. But I feel its true meaning has been lost. In most consumer photographic products it means that a lens is able to focus close enough so that when the image is made into a standard 6x4 print, then the image is life-size. Unfortunately this only requires a magnification ratio of about 1:4, rather than 1:1. A true 1:1 macro lens will project the subject onto the film plane or sensor at the same size. Therefore the lens must be able to focus on an area 36x24mm, a much more difficult proposition for lens manufacturers; hence they are a relatively expensive lens to buy.

WHEN TO PHOTOGRAPH

6-spot burnet moth in mid-day sun Summer is the peak time for insects. Our parks, woodlands, and fields literally buzz with the activities of millions of insects and other invertebrates. Finding the source of this cacophony can be a little tricky since they are so small. Therefore, you must first know when and where to look.

Photographing creepy crawlies in the middle of the day is usually very frustrating. They are fully charged from the heat of the day and can disappear in an instant. As the heat from the sun becomes too much, many bugs crawl round to the underside of a leaf making them even more difficult to see. Instead, wait for a still, calm morning after a cool night. For instance, if the previous day is warm and the following night turns very cool, dew will form on vegetation. The lower the temperature falls, the longer it will take cold-blooded invertebrates to warm up and fly. Get up early to maximise these windows of opportunity.

FINDING A SUBJECT

When walking through a field or park, stop periodically to crouch down and scan across the heads of the grasses and flowers. Flying insects and indeed many beetles, bask here as they wait for the sun to warm their bodies. It is much easier to spot resting butterflies, moths, and damselflies at this lower angle. Use binoculars to improve your chances.

Another good place to look is near the ground, along a hedgerow, especially one with brambles. There are usually many species of invertebrate basking in the sun. Woodlands can be a difficult habitat in which to find insects, in that there are so many places to hide. I frequently see insects on east-facing banks, hedgerows, and trees or anywhere where the sunrise first illuminates the ground and vegetation. Try turning over large leaves as many bugs hide here, out of view, while still soaking up the heat through the leaf.

Many of us have experienced that fruitless hunt to find the buzzing insect - you hear it and the moment you stop to look, the sound stops. Just wait around for a few minutes for the buzz to return. This may take some time, but you can eventually zero in on the source which is invariably a grasshopper or cricket.

SLOW APPROACH

Once you have spotted a bug, approach slowly and directly from behind as most species have a blind spot. Staying low with the sun in your face is the best way to avoid casting a shadow over the subject. Ensure your tripod is already open and move very slowly into position. Many insects are sensitive to air pressure so will detect any heavy movements and flee. Flying insects will vibrate their wings to warm up before flight. This is what you will see if you disturb them too much. If this happens, simply edge away and they may calm down and resume their normal basking routine.

SHUTTER SPEED

In order to photograph with a faster shutter speed, always make sure the back of the camera is exactly parallel to the insect’s body. By doing this, you can then use a wider aperture (lower f/-number) and still keep the majority of the insect in focus. When using a macro lens at close quarters, your depth of field may be less than a couple of millimetres so I usually start with an aperture of f/8.

DEPTH-OF-FIELD

Assessing the amount of focus you will achieve by just looking at the viewfinder or LCD is very difficult, if not impossible. The viewfinder will only ever show you the view at the maximum aperture of the lens e.g. f/2.8 or f/4, unless you use your camera’s depth-of-field preview button. This will stop down the viewfinder display to reveal the true image.

If you don’t have this option, it is worth capturing several images with increasing apertures and editing them later on the computer. If the subject is particularly docile, you can review the image there and then. Above all else, make sure the eyes are sharp. Look for distracting strands of grass, cobwebs, and dirt that may ruin your shot. In order to deal with these distracting elements, I always carry small scissors and a cutting blade.

MANUAL FOCUS

The manual focus and focus limiter switches on lens barrel At these high-magnifications, a slight breeze is sufficient to make the subject in your viewfinder sway like a chaotic pendulum. In these circumstances, your autofocus will probably go into meltdown before you can lock on to the subject. Invariably, I use manual focus unless I am tracking a moving insect.

FLASH

Flash can add a real spark to an image by enhancing the fabulous iridescence common with most beetles and flies. I use a 550EX with a standard Stofen diffuser. The angle of the flash is tilted down and slightly away to the side. I set the flash exposure compensation to -1.75 to -2.75, as all I need is the slightest uplift and sparkle. If you are photographing insects in direct-sunlight conditions, try using fill-in flash to soften the shadows and contrast.

SUPPORT

Hand-holding a camera while waiting for the breeze to stop is tiring and frustrating and usually results in soft images. Save yourself this aggravation by using a tripod or beanbag. Due to the nature of macro work, a tripod where the legs open completely will enable you to work just a few inches from the ground. A beanbag is an alternative, but will limit your options as you will not have the height to look down on a subject. To maximise your opportunities, go out early when the bugs are docile, the breeze is gentle, and use a tripod to guarantee sharp shots.

“The last thing you want to do when photographing bugs is cover yourself in a bug repellent. Instead, where long sleeves and light gloves to protect against stinging nettles, bites, and thistles. Keeping your skin covered will also make you less alarming to your subject. It’s never a good idea to flash around pale skin with any kind of wildlife.”