Depth of Field in Macro Photography

Head shot of Weaver Ant

Macro photography is an area where depth of field is an extremely crucial factor. Here the weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) carrying moss in its mouth is captured at f/10. Why so much of this photo is blurred in the photograph above? It’s not due to poor focusing technique. If you look carefully, you’ll see that … Read more

Xenocatantops Grasshopper Nymph

Xenocatantops Grasshopper Nymph

I found this short horned grasshopper nymph belonging to Xenocatantops species in my garden feeding on leaves. They belong to subfamily Catantopinae, which is classified under family Acrididae. These grasshoppers go through a drastic makeover during their adult life. These green nymphs will change their colour to dark brown/black with pale white stripe colored adults. … Read more

Nest Building by Weaver ants

Four workers holding leaf for weaver ant nest

My garden has several nests of weaver ants(Oecophylla smaragdina). Even though I have captured their closeups and nests, after it was constructed, I wanted to witness and capture the nest building steps of this brilliant insect architect. After stalking several nests and getting bitten by their workers, I was finally able to get a good … Read more

Ropalidia Social Wasp

Ropalidia Social Wasp

I found two foundress Ropalidia species of paper wasps, initiating a new nest on one of the granite pillars of my courtyard. I used my Canon EOS 5DS R fitted with Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens, lit by Canon MT-24EX macro twin light flash with a DIY diffuser to capture these wasps and … Read more

Leucage Orb-Weaver

Leucage Orb-Weaver

I found this beautiful Orb-Weaver also known as Silver Orb Spider (Leucauge species) in my garden. I have used Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM using 36mm Kenko extension tube. This whole setup is illuminated by Canon MT-24EX macro twin light flash. Leucauge spider is from the family … Read more

How to Get Sharper Close-Ups

Sarcophagidae Flesh Fly

One of your biggest goals in macro and close-up photography, is to draw attention to your subject. You want to make subject to really stand out. One way to achieve that is to make it the sharpest part of the image, so as to attract viewer’s attention. Here are few simple ways to achieve sharp … Read more