Micrographs for 38 years. This time the winners were chosen from almost two thousand participants. We present you the best works in the field of macro photography in 2012.

The first place was given to the image of the blood-brain barrier of a live zebrafish embryo. The jury claims, by the way, that this is the first ever picture of this barrier in a living organism in the process of formation. To distinguish between brain endothelial cells, Jennifer Peters and Michael Taylor of St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis (USA) used fluorescent proteins and confocal 3D microscopy. The images were stacked and compressed into one, colorized to add depth.

Second place. Walter Perkovsky (USA). Newborn lynx spiders (Oxyopidae).

Third place, Dylan Burnett, National Institutes of Health (USA). Human osteosarcoma (bone cancer): actin filaments (purple), mitochondria (yellow), and DNA (blue).

Fourth place. Ryan Williamson, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (USA). The visual system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster during pupil development: retina (gold), photoreceptor axons (blue), and brain (green).

Fifth place. Honorio Cosera, University of Valencia (Spain). Cacoxenite mineral (hydrous iron phosphate).

Sixth place. Marek Mis (Poland). The desmid alga Cosmarium sp. next to a sphagnum leaf.

Seventh place. Michael Bridge, University of Utah (USA). Eye organ of the larva of Drosophila melanogaster at the third stage of development.

Eighth place. Gerd Günther (Germany). Larva of the comb jelly Pleurobrachia sp.

Ninth place. Geir Drange (Norway). Ant Myrmica sp. with a larva.

Tenth place. Alvaro Migotto, University of Sao Paulo (Brazil). Ofiura.

Eleventh place. Jessica von Stetina, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (USA). Optical section of the upper alimentary canal of a Drosophila melanogaster larva: Notch signaling pathway (green), cytoskeleton (red), cell nuclei (blue).

Twelfth place. Ezra Hooke, Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (Switzerland). 3D lymphangiogenesis test. Cells sprout from dextran beads placed in fibrin gel.

Thirteenth place. Diana Lipscomb, George Washington University (USA). Sonderia sp. - ciliates that feed on various duckweed, diatoms and cyanobacteria.

Fourteenth place. Jose Almodovar Rivera, University of Puerto Rico. Adenium obesum flower pistil.

Fifteenth place. Andrea Genre, University of Turin (Italy). Fragment of the leg of the ladybug Coccinella.

Sixteenth place. Douglas Moore, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point (USA). Fossilized snails Turitella agate with freshwater snails Elimia tenera and ostracods (shellfish).

Seventeenth place. Charles Krebs (USA). A stinging trichome on a leaf vein.

Eighteenth place. David Maitland (Great Britain). Coral sand.

Nineteenth place. Somaye Nagilu, University of Tabriz (Iran). Flower ovary of garlic Allium sativum.

Twentieth place. Dorit Hawkman, University of Cambridge (UK). Bat embryos Molossus rufu.

As you walk through the woods, chances are you'll see mushrooms with their brown hats, green moss that looks attractive, maybe even a running deer. But there is a whole hidden tiny world that the human eye cannot see so easily, and this world is truly mesmerizing.

Do you know what nanopainting is? This technology creates sculptures smaller than one millimeter. In this post, Bigpiccha will indulge those who love everything tiny: here are ten miniature things created by human hands. Among them - a microscopic snowman and a mini-Bible!

Many of us like to look through a microscope at all sorts of blades of grass, droplets, and in general everything that comes to hand. But what we will show you just won’t fall into your hands, and if such a meeting suddenly happens, then you need to run away from there at the speed of light

Ebola virus. It reproduces very quickly. The virus causes hemorrhagic fever. Human mortality is 42%

It is rather strange to admire the beauty of mold, but from a certain angle, it can really be entertaining to observe. At the very least, porcini mushrooms are unlikely to be found outside forest areas, and mold fungi will find you anywhere where you leave your food for a long enough time. So maybe you should take a closer look at these ubiquitous creatures?

What you'll see in these photos may look like rare plants or exotic landscapes, but it's actually... bacteria that nestle comfortably on your teeth, as well as other microorganisms that live on your gums or on your toothbrush.

"I'm always surprised when I look through the camera's viewfinder and see things that are normally invisible."

Miki Asai is a nature photographer. Looking through a macro lens, she tries to show how beautiful our little world is.

Judging by paleontological finds, the division of living beings into kingdoms occurred more than 3 billion years ago. One of them is the plant kingdom.

These photographs of flowers and plants were taken with an electron microscope and then colored in. At high magnification, familiar plants look completely foreign, in a strange way.

Interactive photos.

There is such a variety of snowflakes that we can safely say that no two are the same. Some even believe that there are more options for the shape of snowflakes than there are atoms in the universe. A professional photographer tried to convey their beauty, perfection and diversity. We look.

Are tarantulas beautiful? Highly. So thinks photographer Michael Pankratz, taking macro shots of spider legs.

Nature did its best, and close up, the furry paws of spiders look really very beautiful and not scary at all.

The Nikon small world microphotography competition is the oldest and most respected competition of its kind in the world. These are demonstrations of the beauty, complexity and perfection of nature, observed through a microscope.

The winners of the contest have just been announced. The jury reviewed 2,000 of the most interesting photographs of the invisible world from 88 countries.

We are talking about insects, friends - yes, yes, do not be surprised. It is they who are the most unknown, because, despite the fact that on Earth they are 90% of the total number of all animals and there are from 2 to 10 million different species, only a million with a little more or less are known to us. Can you imagine how many more of them are crawling and flying, of which we have no idea?

What you'll see in these photos may look like rare plants or exotic landscapes, but it's actually... bacteria that nestle comfortably on your teeth, as well as other microorganisms that live on your gums or on your toothbrush.

These macro photographs were taken using a microscope that scans the sample with a focused electron beam. After that, the pictures were digitally or hand-coloured so that individual elements could be distinguished. These photos belong to the Science Photo Lab in London and are used for research and educational purposes. They clearly show us the consequences of improper oral hygiene.

Steve Axford is an Australian photographer. His passion for professional photography is very unusual and very rare. He photographs mushrooms. Moreover, he is not just an ordinary lover of hiking in the forest and leisurely macro photography, but a real traveler and seeker of the rarest and most beautiful species. Even experienced biologists who study plants and fungi do not have such photographs. Each of his expeditions is designed to ensure that he again sees another creation of nature through the lens of his camera, which always exceeds all expectations.

If you want to shoot wildlife, you should always have a few ponds in mind. The water attracts wildlife and it is easy to find frogs there. You can even look for a pond with floating duckweed, from which the heads of these amphibians stick out.fujifilmS5,TamronSP 180mmF/3.5Di 1:1 Macro. Exposure: 13 s., ƒ/16,ISO100.

Mastering the art of macro photography and close-up nature photography takes time and patience, but knowing the answers to the questions “when?”, “where?”, “how?” increase your chances of finding amazing subjects by creating a successful shot. For photographers with limited travel time or budget, close-ups open up unlimited possibilities for shooting around and inside the home. There are four parks within a 20-minute walk of me that are teeming with great subjects, and my garden has flowers and plants that attract butterflies, dragonflies, and other small critters. All you need is some gas, a park pass, and a book that can identify the subjects you've chosen to shoot.

Throughout the four seasons, the life cycle of flowers, plants and insects varies by month and sometimes by day. Interest is not only the process of photography, but also the study of the constantly changing environment. If it is not possible to go outside, you can study the nature of your region, delving even more into this activity.

Our hobbies are often limited by work schedules and family activities, making it difficult to set aside time for filming. Working with macro photography, you can take pictures at any time of the day. Unlike wildlife and landscape photographers, who are often tied to perfect light in the early morning and late evening, macro photography enthusiasts can effectively control the available light, regardless of the time of day, using diffusers and reflectors.

When to shoot

With the environment constantly changing throughout the year, we have an amazing variety of subjects to shoot with. The tiny landscapes of the macro world change each other at an astounding rate, so knowing when to be in nature is the key to success. Spring gives us forest primroses, and open fields - tall summer and autumn flowers. Some wild flowers can bloom for a long time, while others last only a few days or open only at certain hours.

Flowers are the most popular subject for macro photography due to the fact that they are common and easy to find. Walk through wooded spring countryside as well as open summer or fall fields.NikonD7000,TamronSP90mmF/2.8Di 1:1 Macro. Exposure: 1/60 s., ƒ/22,ISO 3200.

Books about the life cycles of flowers, plants, and insects in your area provide useful information about nature's "schedule" to be in the right place at the right time. There are also various online resources and sites of local conservation centers where you can find something worthwhile. Another option is to contact the local environmental organization and get answers to all your questions.

Seasonal cycles for wild flowers, plants, and insects can vary by location. For example, in Michigan, the fall color starts at the upper peninsula and ends at the lower northern, followed by the southern lower peninsula. If you contact local nature photographers, you can get similar information for your region.

For example, on a cool summer morning when the temperature fluctuates between five and six degrees, dragonflies and butterflies freeze as their body temperature drops. Therefore, they will not fly away if you get close and set up a tripod to shoot. Just find a field that has a lot of the right insects during the day, and then go there on a cold morning and carefully look for them in the tall grass.

In my northern region ( we are talking about the state of Michigan, where the author lives - approx. translator) with the onset of December, an ice crust begins to form around the banks of small flattering channels, creating stunning abstract patterns, but as the ice thickens, these patterns disappear and the ice turns white. Knowing the "natural timetable" in your area will increase your chances of success.

Where to shoot

Knowing where to shoot is just as important as knowing when to shoot. I traveled a lot on business related to my business and almost everywhere I could find a local park, conservation center or botanical garden in which to shoot. Wherever you live, there should be places to take pictures. If you do not know the area well, use the Internet to find a suitable place.

Leaves are a great subject that photographers often forget about. Autumn is the perfect time, because at this time the leaves take on an amazing color.fujifilmS5,TamronSP 180mmF/3.5Di 1:1 Macro. Exposure: 1/16 s., ƒ/16,ISO 1250.

The best way to learn about shooting locations is to set aside a day or two to explore the local forests and fields. A detailed journal that marks places with interesting subjects will be a useful tool for the future. I have studied various places around me, so I know when and where flowers, plants and insects appear.

I also pay attention to feathers, bits of shell, and patterns in the sand created by the wind. The swampy area has a unique flora and the ponds attract animals such as frogs, turtles and dragonflies. The open fields are teeming with insects, which are ideal for photographing with a macro lens. Flowers can be found anywhere. If you are lucky enough to live near the botanical garden, you can find a huge variety of flowers and plants from different ecosystems. Sometimes botanical gardens are equipped with greenhouses, allowing you to shoot in any weather, and some even have both indoor and outdoor areas.

How to shoot

Macro photography and close-ups are very different from other forms of nature photography, as the subjects are a few centimeters away from the lens. Any digital camera is suitable for macro photography. My most successful photo was taken way back in 2004 with a 6 megapixel Fujifilm S2 - by the standards of the digital world, that was several generations ago.

It is very important to choose the right macro lens for the right subject. True macros have a fixed focal length and a 1:1 magnification ratio, which, when shot from a close distance, can reflect the actual size of the subject in the picture. The most common macro lens focal lengths range between 60mm and 180mm. Lightweight and compact 60mm lenses are good for shooting handheld or when working with stationary subjects, but because they are only suitable for short distances, forcing you to get very close, they are completely unsuitable for shooting living creatures, because they will simply fly away.

If you don't live in a desert area, take a look at the botanical gardens in the area, which have greenhouses with tropical and desert plants. Succulents are great subjects because of their artistic patterns.NikonD7000,Tamron 16-300mmf/3.5-6.3DiIIVCPZD. Exposure: 1/13 s., ƒ/16,ISO400.

Medium focal length lenses (90mm) like the one I use are a good all-around option that can handle most situations. It blurs the background perfectly when shooting flowers and beetles. When it comes to telemacro lenses, the most popular option is 180mm. This view provides the maximum working distance between the photographer and the subject, making it ideal for photographing living creatures or distant objects.

Over the past few years, optical manufacturers have begun to produce wide-angle lenses with macro functionality. I use a Tamron 16-300mm which allows me to use it at 16mm if I want to capture the natural environment and 300mm for distant subjects such as frogs in a pond or ice crust around a canal bank. These lenses aren't true 1:1 macro lenses, but with each generation they get closer to that standard. For example, Tamron 16-300mm has a ratio of 1:2.7. This means it will be able to capture an area as small as 1.5 x 2.5 inches (3.81 x 6.35 cm), working for 90% of macro photography.

When I ask macro photographers what they have trouble with, the answer is always the same - depth of field, or how much of the subject is in focus. Which aperture to choose in order to focus correctly is always a test. For cases where the whole composition is interesting and every part is full of detail, I set the aperture in the range from ƒ/22 to ƒ/32. Most of the pictures in my portfolio are made in this style. If I want only a small part of the subject to be sharp and everything else to be blurry, I choose an aperture of ƒ/2.8 to ƒ/8.

To be sure how much depth of field affects the focus of a shot, photograph the same subject at different apertures, and then analyze the effect of each. As a little hint, you can remember that a larger f-number means more in focus, and a smaller one means the opposite.

To capture a dragonfly's wing, get out on a cool summer morning and look closely in the long grass. The cold will lower the dragonfly's body temperature so it can't fly, allowing it to get closer and take a picture.fujifilmS5,TamronSP 180mmF/3.5Di 1:1 Macro. Exposure: 0.8 s., ƒ/32,ISO 125.

Aperture control is one of the most important parts of macro photography. You can adjust it in Manual mode or with Aperture Priority. Working with the first one, you also need to choose the shutter speed, so if you are not quite sure you can set a suitable value, Aperture Priority will do everything by itself. Both methods work equally well, but make sure you adjust the aperture yourself.

When shooting macro, we are working very close, so for sharp shots it is critical that the camera is stable. I always use a tripod. I know a few photographers who work handheld, but not everyone can hold the camera steady for long periods of time. In terms of lighting, I never use flash, 95% of my photos are taken with only natural light, but there was one rare occasion where I resorted to a small LED lamp.

Features of macro photography of wildlife

The solution to this problem is the most interesting, but at the same time especially difficult, since the objects of the survey (insects, freshwater, etc.) can be in motion and you need to select the right moment.

It is very difficult not to frighten off the “bug”, as you need to get very close to it.

Here the subject is in a stationary state and the problem described above is not worth it, but there are some nuances. You need to take care of the background and lighting. For example, make a homemade "light box", which will be described later.

This topic involves describing and illustrating various lighting techniques, choosing the depth of field of an image in various types of macro photography.

As a result, it is expected to obtain beautiful macro shots of good quality that will be of interest to the viewer. I would also like to develop my own style and find my own zest in macro photography. I hope that I will succeed and my work will be appreciated.

macro photography photography nature sharpness

Macro photography and its technology

Picture 1

Macro photography is one of the most interesting genres of photography, giving maximum scope for creativity. With a macro lens, you can take a fresh look at ordinary objects, interpret them in a completely different way, experiment with the position of the subject and light.

The two most common and most obvious mistakes are shooting in bright sunlight and shooting with direct flash. Therefore, backlighting is needed, but you need to consider the design of reflectors and / or diffusers that would soften the direct light of the sun or flash. A well-chosen backlight does not attract attention, slightly differs from natural light, does not form or almost does not form glare. But at the same time, it allows you to significantly improve the quality of the image. How and from what to make flash attachments - you can fantasize a lot, there are countless options, from various improvised materials. If only the light suited.

Proper lighting plays a crucial role in macro photography. You can use a flash, but diffused light is better. For starters, it's best to take pictures in natural light conditions. You can also build a simple photo studio using artificial light sources that everyone has at home. But in this case, it is not recommended to use lamps with harsh light: unpleasant shadows will turn out in the picture, and the photo will have to be edited for a long time in graphics programs. You should not use the built-in flash when shooting macro: this way the object will turn out to be overexposed, ugly color shades will appear. To avoid this, you need to use natural lighting and reflectors, varying the location of which, you can choose the optimal lighting. Specialized macro flashes, such as those shown in the photograph (Figure 1), are much more convenient to use. The location of the emitters directly on the lens, almost shadowless lighting - very convenient for technical shooting. Having installed it on the camera, we get a fairly compact and easy-to-use design. In addition to special lighting devices for macro photography, there is a large selection of attachments and attachments for lenses.

In addition to attachment lenses in various modifications that can be used with both rangefinder and compact cameras, here it becomes possible to use extension rings and fur, a teleconverter, and also put the lens in an inverted position.

A special case of attached lenses is multi-lens attachments and the use of an additional lens in an inverted position. As an example, a photograph is shown where the Nikkor 28 / 2.8 lens is installed upside down on the main Sigma 28-70 / 2.8-4 lens (Figure 2). You can shoot with this pair only at a focal length of 70 mm of the main lens - otherwise we get strong vignetting. The shooting scale is approximately 2:1. The use of an additional lens is common enough in macro photography to achieve high magnification. It is convenient that you can assemble the kit from improvised materials - from almost any pair of lenses available. Nevertheless, this scheme has enough shortcomings - the number of lenses increases very much, respectively, reflections / refractions / scattering inside the optical system increase. But the main disadvantage is the low luminosity. Indeed, in this case, the rear lens of the second lens, the diameter of which is always small, becomes the front lens. This limits the use of such a scheme on SLR cameras, it is very difficult to focus on the resulting dark system. Much more widely, such a device is used by owners of digital compacts.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Using the lens upside down is an opportunity to significantly improve the quality of macro photography, especially if you do not have a dedicated macro lens. Any lens can be put in an inverted position, while obtaining a sufficiently large magnification - usually about 1:1.5 - 1:2 for standard lenses. For example, the photo shows a Nikkor 60 / 2.8 Micro lens installed in an inverted position (Figure 3)

What is it for? - When shooting at a scale of 1:1 or larger, the optical properties of the lens are greatly improved if the lens is turned upside down. Moreover, this also applies to macro lenses, when shooting at a scale greater than 1: 1, it is advisable to turn them over. By itself, the inverted lens does not provide a large increase, so it must be used in conjunction with extension rings or fur - then it is possible to obtain the maximum scale in macro photography of 10:1 (Figure 4). This, of course, is a very conditional division, but it is generally accepted that up to a scale of 10: 1 - macro photography, and larger - already micro photography, which must be done with a microscope. Using the lens upside down makes shooting difficult. Autofocus does not work, the jumping aperture does not work, the aperture value is not transmitted to the camera. Only manual control is possible. There are special attachments that somewhat facilitate the shooting process - but still, using the lens in an inverted position is desirable only when it is really impossible to do without it. Especially considering that the rear lens and the entire complex mechanism for connecting the lens to the camera are directed forward in this case. With careless handling, all this is easy to damage and contaminate.

Figure 4 (extension rings)

Wrap rings are produced by manufacturers for their cameras, but you can use third-party products - it will be much cheaper. Here is a brief overview of specialized macro photography equipment that pushes the boundaries of macro photography.

As for the very technique of shooting and using the camera, the following should be noted: The successful use of such a technique as changing the depth of field can transform even the most ordinary object, give it certainty or emphasize a specific detail. In order to control the depth of field, you need to select the aperture priority mode on the camera. The smaller the f-number, the clearer all areas of the image are.

Conversely, to blur objects surrounding the main subject, which is in the center of the frame, you need to increase the aperture value.

In this mode, the camera automatically compensates for the large aperture, and the picture will not come out blurry or overexposed. You can also use the "Macro" mode, but I like the first option better. Since the macro mode is a fully automatic option, which does not allow you to choose aperture and shutter speed, thereby limiting the creative approach to shooting. Also, when using scene programs, the camera may make mistakes and not give the required results.

Let's return to lighting, since light is the most important visual means of macro photography, revealing the contour shape and texture of the surface of the object being photographed.

In each case, you need to find the most suitable type of lighting, on which the expressiveness of the frame will depend. Macro photography can be done in natural and artificial light. The only source of natural light for filming is the sun. Despite the high illumination created by the sun on the subject, its high actinicity, that is, the effect on photographic materials, the use of solar lighting in some cases is difficult.

A strong change in illumination, depending on the time of day, year, geographical location, cloudiness, leads to the fact that replacing the natural illumination of the object, where possible, with artificial leads to better results. But it must be remembered that when an object is illuminated by one source, a sharp division into lights and shadows is characteristic. The use of several light sources leads to a decrease in the contrast between light and shadow, to the development of details in the shadows, that is, to an improvement in the transfer of the volume and texture of the object.

Figure 5

Illumination of objects during macro shooting aims not only to create the necessary illumination for obtaining a normally exposed negative, but also to reveal the shape and texture of the surface of the object being photographed with maximum expressiveness.

Macro objects can be divided into two main groups: opaque objects and translucent objects. Opaque objects whose surface areas reflect varying amounts of light falling on them. This group includes most of the items that you have to deal with in macro photography. Reflectivity depends on the nature of the subject being photographed, as well as on the structure of the surface. Surfaces are usually divided into matte (diffuse), glossy and mirror.

Translucent objects, passing through which the light is attenuated and scattered depending on the optical properties of the object, creating on the photographic material different optical densities of the image of the object being photographed.

As with normal shooting, the lighting of macro photography objects can be natural (daylight) with the use of backlights using reflectors and artificial lighting. Lighting can be subdivided by type into frontal, side to sliding, rear (through) and combined.

The practice of photography allows us to distinguish three main or most characteristic plans: general, medium and large. One of the effective techniques of a creative photographer is shooting very close-up (for example, the image of individual parts of a human face: eyes, lips, etc.). In the glossary of technical terms, close-up shooting means shooting at a scale of 1:2 or more, that is, when the object is reduced by no more than two times. Macro photography can also be defined as a direction of photorealism, a distinctive feature of which is the choice of objects that are small in size and have a shallow depth of field.

The task of the photographer is to try to get pictures, looking at which you can see the details invisible to the naked eye. The value and usefulness of this type of shooting is difficult to overestimate.

Even a novice amateur photographer will discover a new world with its help, noticeable if you carefully look at the small components of nature (insects, flowers, moss, etc.).

The frames shot in this way will not leave the viewer indifferent. This is a kind of Gulliver's journey to another dimension, living its own life.

Macro photography is almost no different from ordinary photography: we focus, measure the illumination, set the aperture, shutter speed and shoot. However, it has its own nuances. As you have probably already seen, photography is an interesting, but very painstaking work in which all the little things matter. When shooting macro live objects, you should remember the golden rule: everything that can fly will try to fly away at the most inopportune moment, everything that crawls - crawl away, everything that jumps - gallop. You need to be ready for this!

Figure 6

An object illuminated by ambient light. Macro photography at home using a translucent tent

Figure 7

To soften and neutralize unnecessary shadows and highlights, professionals advise using a translucent "tent" - a light box that resembles a cube in shape, the walls of which are made of translucent white material. Such a "tent" also allows you to create the effect of a three-dimensional image of the object being filmed, highlighting the objects from any side (Figure 7).

Of course, macro photography has its own characteristics. Due to the fact that the camera optics are not ideal, when shooting close, that is, in macro mode, some significant and not very (depending on the camera class) geometric distortions will be observed. This means that if you photograph a student's notebook, for example, then you get by no means perfect squares and not quite straight lines. By the way, it is not recommended to shoot jewelry up close because of these distortions, but we will find a lot of other interesting things that can be clicked from close distances. If under the same lighting, when there is not very much light, a normal photo comes out without "stirring" and blurring, then with macro photography there is a very high risk of getting a not too clear photo. Another fuzzy photo can be obtained if you focus on something close and slightly (literally a few centimeters) take the camera in any direction. But this may not bring inconvenience if you learn to press the shutter button immediately after focusing.

A very extensive article for macro photographers and people who aspire to this.

A guide for beginner macrophotographers. Detailed description and tips for shooting still objects and insects.
How to get macro portraits. Photo analysis. Treatment.

1. Preparation.
So, if you decide to make a macro outing into the field, then you should start with preparation.

a) Make sure the weather is favorable for you: it should be sunny and not very windy.

b) Check the batteries in the camera, take spare ones. Set the modes on the camera in advance: ISO to minimum, central focus; frame quality to the maximum (if the camera supports RAW, then be sure to shoot in RAW), shooting speed priority at 1/1000s, aperture priority - depends on your lens, if you have a DSLR, then about 8; if a soap dish, then experiment and select such an aperture value at which there will be sufficient depth of field. However, owners of point-and-shoot cameras will most likely have to use the macro mode.
For a DSLR, I recommend shooting mostly in manual mode. The shooting speed is at least 1/250s, you will most likely vary the aperture during the shooting process, but for starters, you can set it to about 8.

c) If you decide to hunt insects, then dress in neutral colors, preferably khaki or something similar. There should be no perfume smell. Make sure that nothing rattles when you move (in fact, this is serious and helps a lot).

d) Take with you a small mirror (10x10 just right), a white sheet of paper, a piece of plain fabric, a flashlight if you have one, a spray bottle, a bottle of water, you can take a tripod.


2. Arrival at the place.
Upon arrival, take a look around. If you do not immediately see clouds of insects - it does not matter. Perhaps they were hiding? Stand for 10 minutes and watch, be sure to notice a lot of subjects. Make a mentally rough plan of action, start shooting.


3. Shooting stationary objects.
a) Background.
There should be nothing superfluous in macro photography. Make sure there are no extraneous details in the frame. The background should be more or less uniform, not distracting, without sharp transitions. It is better to avoid bright overexposed areas in the background, and even more so on the object! A dark background often looks better. If you have outlined the frame, but the background is unsuccessful, then try changing the position of the camera, if this is not possible, make an artificial background: a piece of fabric, your backpack or jacket will do. The subject can be illuminated with a mirror (or a white sheet of paper).



b) Composition.
Avoid boring central compositions: after focusing, move the object to the edge of the frame or let it go diagonally:



c) drops.
In order to take a picture of the drops, it is not necessary to wait for rain or dew - use a spray gun and your imagination:





d) Black or white objects.
When photographing black or white objects, the camera very often makes mistakes with exposure metering (some cameras perceive color as light). Take matters into your own hands: put your camera in manual mode and experiment with exposure.
Overexposure example:


Overexposed areas cannot be restored in Photoshop - they have lost information about color and texture.
After selecting the right conditions:



e) Focus.
Sometimes there are problems with autofocus - the camera adjusts to a more contrasting object in the background. When photographing the web, for example. It doesn't matter, we switch to manual focus. If the camera does not have manual focus, then take some object (a twig, for example) and place it next to the object, adjust the sharpness, press the shutter button halfway, remove the object and press the shutter button to the end.


4. Shooting insects.

a) Behavior.
If you decide to hunt insects, then remember a simple rule: insects have poor eyesight, but good hearing, but in terms of smell, many of them are just champions. So, based on this, we now know how to "deceive" them.
Very often, insects are not even afraid of you, but of an unexpected sound from the camera. Therefore, take the first frame from afar, the second - taking a step closer, etc. Usually 5-6 shots I already do closely.
Frame examples, image without crop:
First frame:



Fifth frame:



The next rule is smooth and silent movements. No harsh gestures! Better not to talk. If you accidentally spook an insect, do not try to chase it. Let him calm down.

The camera must be prepared before you start approaching the object, select the desired mode in advance, and of course use a large focal length (maximum zoom).

b) mindfulness.
The key to success is your diligence. See if anyone is hiding under a leaf, if someone's shadow has flashed somewhere.
Would you notice this baby dragonfly:



Would have seen this butterfly without frightening:



You could see the spider:



c) Observation.
Be observant - notice the behavior of insects. Some of them “pose” well, others are immediately carried away. Usually, the better an insect's eyesight is, the worse it poses.
Posing well: spiders, grasshoppers, small butterflies, bees, bumblebees, caterpillars, ants. Well, moths in this sense are a real find.
They pose worse: wasps, bedbugs, some butterflies (moth hawks, lemongrass), dragonflies. Although many people like to catch dragonflies on the fly, as they often hang in the air.

Knowing the behavior of different insects will help you get a lot of interesting shots. For example, one day I saw a wasp, she didn’t interest me and I decided to pass by already .. as I noticed that she was hiding. Wasps never do that. I took a few shots and already at home I discovered that this is not a wasp, but a real butterfly!
Butterfly glass case, imitating a wasp:



For comparison, here is a real wasp:



Or, for example, this fly for some reason landed in the same place, if it was frightened off and I managed to take a whole series of photos of it in flight:



d) Focus, depth of field and exposure speed.
"Aim for the head." That is, focus on the head of the insect. For example, in this photo there is a very small depth of field, but since the head is in focus, the picture looks more or less decent:


Take multiple takes, as the autofocus may accidentally miss the right moment. It’s better to clean up bad shots from a flash drive later than to find blurry in the most inappropriate place when you come home.

Choose the depth of field to your liking, but so that the insect can be clearly seen. A shallow depth of field blurs the background beautifully, a large depth of field allows you to show the object more sharply. Find the optimum for your camera empirically.
For example, a photo with a small depth, but the bee got into it:



And in this photo, the depth of field is quite large, but since the trees are far away in the background, they don’t really interfere:



As for soap dishes, when choosing an exposure speed, follow the rule: the minimum exposure speed is approximately equal to one divided by the focal length of the lens. That is, if you are shooting at a focal length of 50mm, you should have a speed of at least 1/50 - 1/60 of a second.
For DSLRs, I would not recommend setting the speed to less than 1/125 sec at a focal length of 50mm and less than 1/250 sec at a focal length of 100mm.

d) The plot.
Do not stop at simple pictures, the most interesting are photos with some kind of plot. For example, a predatory fly ktyr caught a grasshopper:



Or, ladybug takeoff:



e) Spray bottle.
Some photographers like to splash the insect with water first, and then shoot. It seems that while the insect is wet, it will not fly away. I don't know.. I don't really like this method, but maybe it will be useful for someone:



g) Insects in flight.
In order to photograph an insect in flight, you need a shooting speed of about 1/1000s. This greatly reduces the depth of field and it becomes difficult to catch the object. You can increase the ISO, but there will be a lot of noise. I recommend taking these photos with a flash.



h) Nocturnal insects.
When shooting at night, the main problem is focusing. In complete darkness, in autofocus mode, illuminate the subject with a flashlight. If there is no flashlight, then you can adjust the focus "blindly". That is, in manual focus mode, you adjust approximately and take a picture. Look at the resulting photo on the camera display and figure out where you need to shift the focus, adjust, take the next shot, etc.
This stick insect was photographed "blindly":




5. Photo analysis.
When you get home, start sorting your photos. But not just delete bad shots, but analyze each frame. Why did this one succeed and that one not? Compare camera settings for each shot, and you'll soon learn how to intuitively set the right settings depending on the shooting conditions.
Put good shots in a separate folder, sign where and when they were taken (because if you get carried away, you will soon count your photos not in good shots, but in gigabytes). Do not process, this is your archive (processing spoils the quality). Edited photos can be stored separately.


6. Processing.
In processing, be moderate - do not overdo it. Everything should look natural. In general, processing is up to you.

I usually do it like this:
Let's take this frame for example:



Crop and rotate as you like (just avoid extreme crop: when the subject is small in the frame. Enlargement to the limit is almost always noticeable due to a lot of noise).
I like like this:



Fixing the color. I usually limit myself to adding brightness.
Then we add contrast: duplicate the layer and change the blending mode to Soft Light, set the transparency of the layer to your liking. Here's what happened:



Only after that we resize the image to the one we need.

After reduction, add sharpness - change the format to Lab color, go to layers, select Lightness. Next, with the Lasso tool with a soft border, select only what we want to make sharper. In this case, it is a fly and a branch. Try to capture as little background as possible. Apply Unsharp Mask, Amount 50, Radius 1 or 0.5 depending on the image, Threshold 0. Don't oversharp. Especially if there are a lot of white highlights on the insect, they will become sharp and will not look beautiful. If necessary, repeat Unsharp Mask on separate areas.

Adding blur. Change the format to RGB, and look at the channels (it's easier to see the noise there):
Red:



green:



Blue:



As we can see, the noise is mainly red and blue. Let's go over the background with the Blur tool separately in each channel. Watch out, don't hurt the insect!!
Result:


With such a scale, it is not very noticeable, but believe me, the blur through the channels justifies itself!

In addition to processing:
If your insect has large beautiful eyes, then after the main processing they can be finalized. For example:



Select the eyes with the Lasso tool with a soft border, copy them to a new layer. If there are white highlights on the eyes, then gently erase them with an elastic band (we do not need to enhance these highlights). Apply the High Pass filter, layer blend mode to Overlay, adjust the opacity to taste:




Phew, well, that's all for now... Perhaps the lesson will be supplemented.
If you have any questions - ask, we will try to find answers together.
Good luck!!!