A yellow beetle on rain drop covered grass, 60mm Micro lens.

Circular Polarizer Lens (C-PL) filter, tripod, long exposure, high f-stop

Andrey Antov, PPSA Hamden, Connecticut

Why spend all that money on long-zoomed lenses, heavy tripods, powerful flashes and expensive plane tickets? Why use your vacation time to travel to a remote destination so that you have a couple of hours to shoot something someone else has already photographed?

A tarantula spider with a gulf frititlary butterfly. Set-up in the hotel room, 60mm Micro lens, C-PL filter, tripod, long exposure, high fstop, black background, window light 22

Some of the most amazing images I have ever seen, pictures with great composition and color palettes, are ones taken from a close-up setting. They are also the types of photos that require the least of your time, money and travel. There are several reasons for going macro rather than into landscape and bird photography-it is cheaper, the objects are easily accessible, the composition can be manipulated according to your preferences, and there are better chances of repeating the pictures. In addition, one can shoot macro with the least sophisticated equipment not only outside, but also inside the house. Next time when you leave your house while it is raining, thinking that it is bad weather for photography, take a close peak at the grass outside. What do you see? Crystal-clear droplets on bright green blades of grass. If you are patient, you can look around and find an insect or another small living object staying still under the drizzle waiting for the sun to come out. Do not waste your time, go home and pick up your camera, put on your rain jacket and ski pants (if you do not have those, do not panic, place a large plastic bag on the ground). Lie down on the grass, spread your tripod and take your time to create the right composition. The
PSA Journal August 2009

fled spotted newt, cloudy day in the forest, 60mm Micro lens, C-Pi filter, tripod, long exposure, high f-stop, black background

insect will still he there and the light will still be diffused and even. In other words, no need to rush. No need to worry and stress ihat the object will fly away. No need of deflectors, flashes and all that

Green grasshopper on thorn's flower, sunny day, 60mm Micro lens, C'PL filter, tripod, short exposure, ow f-stop, black background positioned between the subject and sun PSA Journal August 2009

heavy equipment. Keep the f-stops low (f2.8-5.6) or just enough to achieve the nicely blurred green background. Focus well on ihc object of interest - that small and brightly colored insect. If you are too close to the arthropod, aim for its eye. If the conditions allow, try to get as many other parts in focus. Make sure that the lens is pointing away from the rain, if not, use a white or transparent umbrella to protect yourself and the equipment. Once the rain stops, while the clouds still provide you with diffused and even light, bring your colored paper backgrounds and tind an interesting tlower or another small object. Place the sheet of paper behind it. In this case, you could use the highest t-stop in order to have ail the details in focus. It will be perfect if the background

Ceanothus moth. Set-up at home, 60mm Micro lens, C-PL filter, tripod, long exposure, high f-stop, black background, window light with small mirrors as reflectors

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Halloween Pennant, sunny day, 60mm Micro lens. C-PL filter, handheld camera, short exposure, low f-stop, natural background (blurred green grass)

Jumping spider with a house fly, at home set-up, 60mm Micro lens, C-PL filter, tripod, long exposure, high f-stop, grey background, aluminum foil used as a reflector

is far enough from the object so its surface unevenness will not be detected on the image. Use a tripod and a low shutter speed (corresponding to the high f-stop) with a self-timer or a remote release control {when manually triggering the shutter. low speed brings lots of vibration). Once the rain stops and the sun comes out. jump into your car and drive just as far so you can and tind a meadow or a place with flowers.

Red-banded leafhopper, cloudy day, 60mm Micro lens. C-PL filter tripod, iong exposure, high f-stop, black background

Any mention of products or services in this article or anj-wliere else in ie PSA Joiiniul diics not constitute an cntlorsemeirt or approval of tJiose items.

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PSA Journal August 2009

Walk among them (without causing any damage to the plants). Even if you do not see anything worth photographing, stay still and patiLMitly wait. Soon, insects will stail flying and landing on the blossoms surrounding you. You will almost never succeed at such an ambush if you were aiming for a heron or a tiger with your 40()mm zoom. By paying close attention, you will be able to estimate roughly how much time each bug spends drinking nectar betre flying away. Once you figure that out, press the trigger just before the little critter takes off. After a few times of consistent practice with the same type of insect, you might be able to take a picture of the bug flying above the flower. Again, keep the speed high, the background blurred (1 stop low); focus on the moving object and the blossom. Position the lens surface parallel to the triangle fonned by the flower, the bug and Ihe direction of the flight. Before leaving the meadow, take a live small beetle (or other critter) in one of your no longer used 35mni film boxes. Bring a twig with leaves or some interesting flower as well. Once you go back home, clean the area around the largest window in your house. This will be your "macro studio." Place the flower from the
PSA Journal August 2009

meadow in a vase with water and position an appropriate color background behind it. Set your tripod and camera. Take a few images of the plant until you achieve the right camera settings. It will be best if the window is not behind the camera but at 4? to 80 degrees angle to the axis of the lens (with the lens facing away from the light). The background should be set in such a way so you could avoid the shadow of the plant. If the color of the paper is black, then the side facing the camera should be in a shadow (to make the backdrop as black as possible). Once you are comfortable with your quick set up. you could play with a mirror or a small reflector (white piece of material or an aluminum wrap) to illuminate particular parts of the object. Later on you could bring the beetle to the picture. Let it craw! and when it stops, set the trigger. Please, do not forget to release the [iiiniature model once the session is over. Later in the evening, you could re-assess the images you have taken during the day. If you see something that does not look great, do not worry. All of these photos you have taken during the day could still be repeated as long as it rains again, as long as there are flower meadows, and as long as there is light coming through your window.

Locust borer, 60mm Micro ens. C-PL filter, handheld camera, short exposure, low f-stop, natural background (blurred green grass)

Andrey Antov, PPSA

Photos Andrey Antov, PPSA

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