Insects

Insects are the favourite subject of most macro photographers. It is probably because of a great variety of their forms, species, their beauty, but also owing to the repulsion they evoke in people (spiders, larvae, caterpillars). But even the ugly ones have usually got interesting, intriguing forms. They are generally small and therefore we don’t know what do they look like in fact. We can see them in detail only in the macro shots. Some of them e.g. butterflies, beetles or dragonflies are stunningly beautiful. 

For ages they have been an object of desire for generations of collectors, entomologists and naturalists. Numerous expeditions to the tropical rainforests were organised in order to catch, descibe and discover new species of insects. It cost many explorers their lives. Luckily, today in the era of digital photography and globalisation obtaining or taking the photos of even most exotic insects is not that difficult. There is something fascinating about this bloodless hunting. It awakes the eternal instinct of a hunter in us. It is enough to go to a garden and wait for the opportunity, however, you have to go somewhere further if you want to capture something particular. Dragonflies, for instance, fly only near a water body. You have to preapare your gear and go on an excursion then. It is important to remember about a suitable clothing as dragonfies happen to be really nasty sometimes. Instead of posing for a photo nicely, they laugh at our expense.
Once a dragonfly sat on the bush by the water. I approached it trying to be really quiet, pointed my lens at her, set the point of focus on her eye and was about to press the button when it flied away and sat on a stick nearby. The good thing was that the water was shallow there. I rolled my trousers up to my knees and went into the water. I crept like a tiger, I was close but the stick was low so I had to crouch. I got all wet which made me jump out of surprise and the dragonfly flied away further from the shore. The water was getting deeper but the dragonfly was so close now. Then it came back on the stick she was before. I realised that it is a male dragonfly as they like to come back to the place from which they patrol the area. I approached the stick that was now abandoned and waited patiently. A minute didn’t even pass when it was back. Throug a viewfinder I saw that it was glowering at me buy not flying away. Then I pressed the shutter release button once, twice, three times, ten times and it was still there. It had a wonderful photo session.

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash

A male Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) waits for insects sitting at the same place and observing the surroundings intently.

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash
The sex act of Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) in the photo.

In the course of evolution male dragonflies developed unusual secondary reproductive organs at the base of the abdomen while the end of the abdomen was transformed into something in a shape of pincers. Using this organ a male dragonfly grabs a female dragonfly by its neck and holds her firmly waiting for her to join her organs at the end of the abdomen with his copulatory apparatus. What is interesting, in the first phase of this act, a male dragonfly sucks all the sperm left by other males out of a female and only then he transfers his genetic material. Many different species of dragonflies are joined like this, even flying this way, till the eggs are laid (underwater).

A joint flight of Ruddy darters.

Fujifilm S 5 PRO, Sigma 180mm 1:3,5 APO MACRO DG HSM EX, SB-600 Lestes viridis (Chalcolestes viridis) in the photo.

Olympus XZ-1
Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa).

Fujifilm S 5 PRO, Sigma 180 mm 1:3,5 APO MACRO DG HSM
Na zdjęciu Ważka czteroplama (łać. Libellula quadrimaculata).

Fujifilm S 5 PRO, Sigma 180 mm 1:3,5 APO MACRO DG HSM
Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata).

Fujifilm S 5 PRO, Sigma 180 mm 1:3,5 APO MACRO DG HSM EX

It is easier to photograph dragonflies at dawn when they are cold and covered with dew after the night. They cannot fly then and our job is easier. Moreover, they look beautiful in this necklace of drops.

As it was mentioned before, to photograph dragonflies or other timid insects it is good to have a macro lens with the longest focal length possible. I often used Sigma 180mm which at the maximum magnification has the front of the lens at the distance of 23cm from the subject. For comparison when using Canon 100mm it is 12cm and with 24 EX flash mounted it is about 10cm. I hope I don’t need to explain how significant it is. This lens has its own tripod collar and I often use it with a monopod. I use SB-Nikon 600 flash mounted horizontally. Thanks to its size and the way of mounting it gives you the greater comfort than working with a typical macro lens. When taking shots of insects, it is of course important to remember about the right size of the aperture to achieve as large DOF as possible. It is not worth going above f/16 as the lens resolution decreases significantly.

This shows how you have to sacrifice yourself sometimes...

Fujifilm S 5 PRO, Sigma 180 mm 1:3,5 APO MACRO DG HSM EX, SB-600
Downy Emerald (Cordulia aenea) in flight.

 

Dragonflies (jokingly speaking) like to play hide-and-seek with you. When they see you they don’t fly away but hide behind a flower or a stalk and observe you closely.

Fujifilm S 5 PRO, Sigma 180 mm 1:3,5 APO MACRO DG HSM EX, SB-600

Apart from the dragonflies, as I mentioned before, the other often photographed insects are butterflies. As far as being photogenic is concerned, no other insects can be compared to them. They come second, after beetles, as far as the number of the known species is concerned.

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro
The Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) in the photo.

 

Papilio machaon is a beautiful butterfly but it is getting more and more difficult to encounter. This individual let me photograph it as long as I wanted. It was drinking nectar from the pelargonium in the garden, not paying any attention to me. I managed to take a hand-held photograph of its wings in 5x magnification live. It this photo it can be seen that the wings are covered with the tile-like scales containing pigments of different colours. Colourful scales form different patterns that are typical of particular species. Their beauty was once a curse for them as they frequently ended their lives pinned in the display cabinet. Thanks to the development of photography we can have them at home not doing them any harm.

Canon 50d, Canon MP-E 65 mm 1-5 x Macro Photo, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash

 

The same butterfly. Olympus XZ-1.

 

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash
The portrait of Gonepteryx rhamni (commonly known as brimstone).

 

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash The European Peacock (Inachis io) in the picture.

 

Canon 50d, Canon MP-E 65 mm 1-5 x Macro Photo, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash
The European Peacock in profile.

 

One more photo of the European Peacock, this time en face.

I was really surprised at these hairy eyes. Now I understand the fact that hair started growing on my ears since I turned fifty...

Butterflies are divided into diurnal and nocturnal i.e. moths. Diurnal ones have got a vivid colouration with a rich pattern, whereas nocturnal don’t rather look that spectacular. However, there are also exceptions to this rule. The example can be the Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor). No diurnal butterfly would be ashamed of such outfit.

Canon 50d, Canon MP-E 65 mm 1-5 x Macro Photo, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash

However, many nocturnal butterflies are day-flying types. Some moths such as e.g. the Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) prey also during the day.
It normally makes quite a commotion with its appearance as it resembles a hummingbird while flying and feeding on flowers. It can hover at a flower and drink nectar while in flight. It is relatively easy to capture it then. Another thing is that I have never seen it resting.

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash

In summer when it’s hot we open the windows of our houses and then we can encounter moths in the least expected places. The example below.

Fujifilm S 5 PRO, Sigma 70 mm f/2,8 EX DG Macro, Nikon SB-600

Before we can admire a butterfly, there has to be a caterpillar.
Caterpillars can be interesting and decorative as well.

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash
The Rusty Tussock Moth (Orgyia antiqua) in the photograph.

Canon 50d, Canon MP-E 65 mm 1-5 x Macro Photo, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash

If you want to photograph a particular type of butterfly, you have to know something about its habitat, the time of activity, the plants it feeds on. It is useful to know that nocturnal butterflies fly towards light. The good way of luring them is placing a strong source of light (e.g. lamp) in some small room such as a garage or a bathroom and opening a window. After a while you can close the window and be sure that some interesting subjects are somewhere in the room. You can also use a light tent that you place in a garden with the lamp inside. Some of the insects will sit on its outside and they can be captured instantly. The once that fly inside can be closed there and photographed later during the day. In the sunlight, in shadowless conditions the interesting effects in the photos are guaranteed.
When you take photos it is good to know as much as possible about your subject. It will help you find it easier, approach it not exposing yourself to danger. The example can be ants. Apart from being very small, they move really fast. If you want to capture them in strong magnification, it is difficult to focus on a running ant, but there are ways of doing that. We know that ants like honeydew produced by aphids. You have to find an aphid colony, tear off a sprig they feed on and put it next to an anthill. After a minute lots of ants delight in these sweets. Through lack of aphids you can simply use sugar.

Canon 50d, Canon MP-E 65 mm 1-5 x Macro Photo, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX flash
An ant feeding on honeydew.

Some different example: when we walk in the forest and see horse faeces, we should know that there is a great chance of coming across the dung beetle (Trypocopris vernalis) as these beetles form pairs on dung.

Fujifilm S 5 PRO, Sigma 180 mm 1:3,5 APO MACRO DG HSM EX, SB-600
Geotrupes sterkorosus in the photo.

 

You have to be also aware of the fact that meadows, especially those with high grass, are a territory of Orthoptera insect commonly known as grasshoppers. Orthoptera, among others, include: grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, mole crickets and Tettigonia species. Frightened grasshoppers take incredibly long leaps and land softly on a place chosen in advance. Due to its size, the Great Green Bush-Cricket is quite intriguing. In summer, while looking for a place to reproduce, they often enter houses, which makes the children and all the owners of any cameras (who become macro photographers then) really happy. They are relatively calm and can patiently endure long photo shoots.

Nikon d60, Sigma 70 mm f/2,8 EX DG Macro, Nikon SB-600

This Great Green Bush-Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima) sat on the backpack of my granddaughter Anastazja, when she was coming back from the kindergarten. It was travelling like this, as if “without a ticket” and probably forgot to get off at the right place. That’s how it found itself in my house exposing itself to the flashes and curious glances of the household members. In the meadow you can see many different species of grasshoppers which are sometimes really hard to distinguish.

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash
Probably the Roesel's bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeseli) in this photo.

The great and probably unrequited love of all the macro photographers is beetles. It is presumably the most numerous order of insects. Reportedly, every fourth animal in the world is a beetle. They achieved unquestionable evolutionary success, above all, thanks to their armoured build and the ability to settle almost every environment. They are at the same time really beautiful and intriguing. Some of them are, admittedly, like something straight out of a nightmare but even they look interesting in the photos.

Canon 50d, Canon MP-E 65 mm 1-5 x Macro Photo, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash

A Mint Leaf Beetle (Chrysolina herbacea) in the photo. It looks like a small precious metal gem.

The people, especially children, have a great liking for the seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata). It is because of its looks and maybe because of the fact that eating aphids it becomes very beneficial.

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash

Below we have another representative of beetles: the green tiger beetle (Cicindela campestris). It is said to be the fastest runner in the insect world. It can run at a speed of 2 km per hour. That’s why it is difficult to capture it. You can come across it in the forest, on sun-filled, sandy paths. What is interesting, a metallic colouration of beetles does not come from the pigmenation of their shells but is the result of the decomposition of light on their specific structure.

Fujifilm S 5 PRO, Sigma 180 mm 1:3,5 APO MACRO DG HSM EX, SB-600

The next individual, although interesting, doesn’t look friendly anymore.

Canon 50d, Canon MP-E 65 mm 1-5 x Macro Photo, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash
The longhorn beetle Chlorophorus herbstii in the photo. Its larvae feed on dead trees, especially linden trees.

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash

I think that there is no need of introducing this individual, but I will do it just in case: the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) in the photo. Although it looks interesting, nobody likes it.
Spiders are also popular subject among photographers .They command respect for some reason or other. The superstition that killing a spider brings a bad luck still persists. Maybe it is good for spiders as less of them are killed at least. They can also be an object of phobia i.e. ungrounded, panic fear of something. On the other hand, they arouse a great amount of interest and are kept at home by their enthusiasts. Some of them are pretty and interestingly coloured e.g. the wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi).

Fujifilm S 5 PRO, Sigma 180 mm 1:3,5 APO MACRO DG HSM EX, SB-600

One of our most interesting native spiders is the zebra spider (Salticus scenicus). It is said to be the most intelligent of all spiders and its behaviour often surprises even the scientists. They don’t build cobwebs as most of the spiders but they prey out of surprise. They creep up on its prey at a close distance, then they take a precise leap and rapidly inject its victim with a paralysing venom. They glue a silk thread to the surface that they are jumping from and use it as a safety measure. They can be encountered on sunny house walls where the flies and other insects are easy to come by.

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash

A common spider that can be found in our gardens is Agelena labyrinthica. I used its webs spread on conifers to take the beautiful photos of drops. In the photo, the spider alarmed by an unexpected intrusion, watches me closely at the entrance to a funnel.

Canon 50d, Canon 100 mm L IS Macro, Macro Twin Lite MT-24 EX flash