Insect Basking in the Sun

Winter evenings are chill and cold and insects bask in the sun by placing themselves on the edge of a grass leave or branch. These subjects are a pure delight for macro photography and nature lovers. An insect sitting on the edge of a leave against the setting sun is no doubt a dream subject. Today while going out in the fields for photography I deliberately took with me only macro lens. When you travel with one lens you work with more concentration. That is what happens and at the end I got some marvelous macro shots.

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First question is  “What is Macro Photography ” ?

It is close up photography done with special types of lenses known as macro lenses which can focus the subjects at very minute distance and magnify it many folds. Those digital photographers who are involved in food photography and flower photography are very much familiar with the technique. But macro photography is more popular among the nature photographers who are fond of capturing insects in action and dance of shimmering dew drops in morning light. Now the question is “how to take macro photographs” ?.

When we see a macro picture of an insect or a dew drop and say wow!, there must be something special in the composition which make us so excited about that. To get an idea of what creative compositions in macro photography are and how these can be achieved ,one has to study lot of images carefully and analyzing these for interesting elements. Here I am giving some general macro photography tips for creating dynamic and creative shots in this field.

How To Position The subject:-

A Rule Of Third

If your  subject is an insect like a dragon fly or some grasshopper etc then try to divide your frame into nine squares by drawing two imaginary vertical and two horizontal lines. Place the subject in the intersection of these lines and most of the time in the intersection point of lower left corner. That is the use of rule of third in macro photography. However if you are shooting a flower of a head on shot of a bug then this rule can be breached and you can place a subject in the center.

Sometime it is very personal decision on-location while shooting that how to place a subject and how to balance it with other elements in the picture. This very important moment decides how your picture will look in the final outcome. Some time a subject of the tip of a flower or a leave gives very pleasing composition. But one thing must keep in mind that always give a breathing space to the subject either you place it on the lower end or upper end. Never go very tight until and unless you are shooting portraits of insects or flowers. Some time you must have seen some photographs with tight composition having bulging eyes and antennas of insects. In this case no breathing space is needed.

Breathing space in the upper right corner

Using curves of the leaves to get creative composition

Use The Curves and Oblique Lines :-

Using the curves of the leaves and branches in macro photography can be a good source for creating dynamic macro pictures. In many cases you noticed spiders cling to the web made by folding a grass leave and making a very nice natural arch or a beetle moving on the natural curve of a leave. These arches and curves of leave are very important in making strong composition in macro photography. In some cases I use setting sun in the background that produce stunning results.

Beauty of Nature

Using Oblique lines

Using oblique lines while composing a shot is so important that most of the time it becomes the major difference between a good picture and a bad picture. If a subject is sitting on a straight leave or branch then tilt the camera with 45 degree and the things will be alright. For this purpose you need a good tripod with ball and socket head. Some time I personally deviate from the rule and get some fresh composition by using straight lines as a strong point.

 Clutter Free Background:-

Not only in macro photography but in its all forms background is very important. A clutter free image in closeup photography is more professional and creative than a picture with messy surrounding. Keep in mind that your main subject must stand out while composing a shot. Some time it is not possible as your subject is much near to the background. In this case use wide aperture and sacrifice some

extra details. I personally keep a scissor in my macro kit to cut extra grass leaves.

But one must be very careful as macro subjects are very scarey and agile and

may jump out of the seen or fly away while you are cutting twigs.

Straight lines may also create strong composition

clear Background

A n out of focus and blur background makes the picture esthetically more acceptable and create ease for the eyes. Another way of creating interesting background is to use a water spray gun for the back lit subjects. That will produce light circles in the background which mostly give the pictures more illusive effect.

    Moving Compositions:-

While imagine to  place a subject in frame, one thing must be kept in mind – there must be a sense of movement in the picture. If you shoot a flying dragonfly or a moving beetle or caterpillar on a curved leave, there must be good space in front of the subject to create space for the movement of the subject which viewer can feel.

Try Some New angles In Macro Photography :-

Head on shots of subjects like flowers produce flat and placid pictures which are unattractive and have no innovation. Try some lower angle to create some new compositions which must look better and attractive to the viewers.For this beetle shot I deliberately use  a lower angle  to make the picture more attractive and dynamic. A straight head on shot would be boring and non acceptable for the viewers.  Same is the rule for the butterflies and flowers. In macro photography now many tips and tricks are used to enhance the composition and overall effect of the final outcome. Some photographers use stuffed and freeze subjects and some even use plastic butterflies to gave the subject position of their own choice. But all that is not the alternate of pure natural shots which are taken on location.  Macro photography is a big fun and more challenging than any other form of photography. That is why young photographers are becoming more and more attractive towards macro photography.

For Further Reading :-

Macro Photography

Top 12 macro photography tips 

How to Take Macro Pictures

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Masters Of Camouflage

Macro Photographs Of Crab Spiders

Nature world is full of wonders and the ability of small insects and arachnids to hide and mix in the background is amazing. That crab spider which shown in the picture is looks like a commando concealing in the surroundings to hunt its prey.

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Spider And Cosmos Flower

A crab spider was sitting ready to capture some prey on the petals of purple cosmos flower in a spring morning of April. These spiders are amazingly beautiful and most of the time it is female that hunt. Males are smaller in size and brown in color. The mating starts after some days of voracious feeding when both male and female become sexually mature. Macro photographers love to shoot these spiders.

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Ladybird Beetle In The Morning

Ladybird beetle is a marvel of nature beauty. Spotted red dome  shape body looks like a gem when it rest on some green plant.

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Wonders Of Nature

Spider webs are really a wonder of nature as these are the most delicate structure in nature yet so strong that can hold weight many time more than its own. In the morning of winters when dew is still on the web silk, these structures look more like strings of pearls. Spider webs are surely the marvels of Great Creator. That is why spider webs are most popular subject among macro photographers and nature lovers.

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 Fish Eyes And The Art Of Macro Photography

Every human being is a nature lover up to some extent and love to see the wonders of nature. But some phenomenons are short livings and only an expert can be able to show that to the world. Patterns and shapes formed by the morning dew in the winter mornings are among such phenomenons. Only macro photographer is be able show that great art of nature. Nature pictures and specially stunning pictures are liked by every one even who have no interest in photography. Composition is the key element in living and dynamic close up pictures. Here I try to use the lower leave as a balancing point which looks holding the drops and drops themselves reflecting the whole world.

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SIGNATURE SPIDER OF GENUS Argiope

Nature Photography And Beauty of Spiders

Buy Image

Signature spiders are comparatively large in size and have special features in its web. It makes a visible cross in the center of the spider web known as  stabilimentum which not only conceals it from the predators but also a marker for its identity. These are different species of the Genus Argiope  of the class Arachnida (including all the spiders). It has a spectacular beauty of form. These spiders are well decorated from both dorsal and ventral side. These spiders are more common in Asia and abundant in the countries like India and Pakistan. Theses spiders are popular subject in nature photography and macro photography lovers always remain in search of such a fascinating creatures.

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Spider In The Morning

Amazing Macro Photography

Structure and design of the spider web is so delicate that it is quite tough  to shoot macro pictures of this wonder of nature. Spiders are agile, scary and sensitive to human presence and leave the web as they feel danger. So shooting a spider web is a great challenge. It is a test of your skill and patience as a photographer. To get best pictures of spiders and spider webs you must have to shoot in a still day with no wind around. Make sure for a clutter free and a bit dark background in your photographs which is the basic rule of macro photography.

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Red Seed Eating Bug

Macro Photography

Red Seed Eating bugs are beautiful and illusive creature. These are mostly found on cotton but some species are also pest on sorghum, soybeans, mung beans and cow peas. These are very common in September and October months in cotton growing areas. Its role as pest on cotton is not yet established. Seed eating bugs are very popular subject for macro photography and their color and postures always attract nature lovers.

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