Macro Tutorial: How to Get Great Shots of Insects in the Field that Look like Studio Photographs (VIDEO)
Whether you’re photographing exotic beetles in the rainforests of Ecuador like entomologist Phil Torres, or shooting more common insects in your backyard, the video below will help you capture dramatic images that look like they were shot in the studio.
Torres in a TV Host, photographer and naturalist who travels the world capturing bold images of tiny critters with a simple macro setup that includes a couple close-up lenses and a choice of two portable speedlights. But what enables him to shoot studio-like images in the field is a small sheet of white acrylic that he uses as a simple background.
You’ll see how Torres uses a portable flash with a diffuser or a twin flash that surrounds his subjects with light. For most of his images he keeps the exposure set at ISO 200, f/11 and 1/250, while focusing on the eyes of his tiny subjects.
You can see more of Torres' work on his YouTube channel, and be sure to look at our earlier story in which ants devoured his gear while he was shooting in the Amazon jungle. You may also want to read the story we posted earlier this week with a DIY “super macro rig” you can build for only $230 including the lens and flash.
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