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Lynn Scott's
Lepidoptera Index |
Introducing Macro PhotographyMacro photography, close-up photography, or micro photography — whichever term you prefer — we'll use the term macro — broadly refers to the photography of small and very small things, and today's array of digital cameras and peripheral equipment has brought a whole range of microscopic wonders within the visual reach of the average person.  This tiny Caloptilia moth, wing length about 10 mm, decided to take flight directly out of the vial in the author's left hand during an indoor re-take session. Fortunately, the Nikon D-80 was in the author's right hand, all settings optimized for instant use. Close-up photography, for many years, required photographers to cope with all the complexities of film, extension tubes and bellows, diligent attention to set-up of subject, camera, tripod and lighting, and careful measurement and calculation of distances, focal lengths and exposure times. There was a wide gulf between "serious" photography and taking snapshots!  Mineral specimens like this example of serandite present many interesting opportunities for shooting from different angles and for different reflections from the faces of the crystals, shot with the Olympus E-20. Now, however, the trusty 35 mm film Pentax camera and all its lenses and accessories are stored at the back of the cupboard (just in case of future need), superseded by a series of digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras that have opened a whole new world to our view. With easy-to-use digital photographic equipment, macro photography gives a new appreciation of small things of all kinds, whether insects, flowers, jewelry, postage stamps, antiques, mineral specimens, scientific and technological subjects, and the list goes on. With macro photography, we can "see" amazing things previously hidden from sight! Our particular interest is the small aspect of the natural world, encompassing minerals, plants and insects, with a specific emphasis on moths that has burgeoned into a consuming hobby with acknowledged scientific value.  Sometimes the camera sees what the eye missed. When I photographed this red clover blossom with the Nikon D-80, I had no idea that it was inhabited by a tiny lively green caterpillar. The pages in this section outline some of our experience to date with digital SLR cameras from Olympus and Nikon, lenses, external flash units, recording and storage media, card-readers, and image processing software. |
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