How do you keep your subject from moving
- Thread starter kababoom
- Start date
i think unless u have the insect swimming in glue they gonna move 
its all about being fast enough to capture the moment and of course having the patience.
what i shot today using MF on the Fuji XE2 and 32 touit, and Fuji systems aren't really considered fast if u've tried them.
practice more and i'm sure u will enjoy the process.
its all about being fast enough to capture the moment and of course having the patience.
what i shot today using MF on the Fuji XE2 and 32 touit, and Fuji systems aren't really considered fast if u've tried them.
practice more and i'm sure u will enjoy the process.
Some macro folks I know kill the insect. Others keep them in a box and then put it in the freezer.
You need to know your subject. I hope no one will suggest killing a cat just to stop it from moving or putting it in a fridge or drugging it.
I used to shoot macro and I was told by the people who do it regularly that the insects tend to be less active in the early morning before their bodies warm up. This is definitely true for butterflies from my experience, not so sure about others.
But to have an insect 100% still forever, it would probably have to be a very patient or dazed insect. This will depend on your luck. Or you can do silly things like kill or freeze the insect, but my personal belief is to respect nature and not cause too much intentional damage towards it (you can't avoid stepping on ants after all) just for your hobby.
Cheers.
You don't stop your subject from moving, you would have to take photo of them before they move or while they are moving using different techniques. And it is highly unethical to do anything else. Imagine, if your child is moving too much for you to take a photo, do you kill them or freeze them? Same thing here. Treat all living things with respect.
Mine too. Just sharing what I heard from some macro'ers. This particular person I know collects the insects as samples. He claims his house has several dry cabinet worth of specimens.
That's how some people get those fantastic super macro, ultra focus stacked shots of bugs that move like crazy (spiders and some other insect moves much less) anyway.
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To answer your question, there are some harmless ways to stop insects from moving, but every subject is different. You need to understand their behavior and know when is the best time to approach. Some bugs stop moving when there is wind and cling harder onto the leaf, some get agitated instead and move faster.
The easier way, is to shoot when the temperatures are lower, like early in the morning or at night.
Of course the more obvious way is to keep a distance and use a longer lens.
I had written an article on some ethics in nature photography, might be a good reference for those new to nature macro photography.
http://sgmacro.blogspot.com/p/macro-photography-ethics.html
It is unfortunate that some seasoned macro shooters choose methods like freezing, killing or even pinning the subjects down to keep them still. Edutilos has given a very good analogy to treat living things the same way you would treat a human baby.
I generally recommend to shoot the subjects as you see it. It is good documentation of their behavior and habitat and experienced ones can quickly tell if you've displaced the subject.
As we are only talking about photography and ethics here, it won't make sense to compare this to use of insecticides to kill mosquitoes or pests in the house, in case someone wants to bring that up.
The easier way, is to shoot when the temperatures are lower, like early in the morning or at night.
Of course the more obvious way is to keep a distance and use a longer lens.
I had written an article on some ethics in nature photography, might be a good reference for those new to nature macro photography.
http://sgmacro.blogspot.com/p/macro-photography-ethics.html
It is unfortunate that some seasoned macro shooters choose methods like freezing, killing or even pinning the subjects down to keep them still. Edutilos has given a very good analogy to treat living things the same way you would treat a human baby.
I generally recommend to shoot the subjects as you see it. It is good documentation of their behavior and habitat and experienced ones can quickly tell if you've displaced the subject.
As we are only talking about photography and ethics here, it won't make sense to compare this to use of insecticides to kill mosquitoes or pests in the house, in case someone wants to bring that up.
jumping spider looks like an easy macro target??
is it true that jumping spider loves to look directly into the lens when your camera goes close to it??? or is it the flash that caught their attention??
is it true that jumping spider loves to look directly into the lens when your camera goes close to it??? or is it the flash that caught their attention??
There are many different species of jumping spiders, and each have their own characteristics. If you are patient enough, some will stop long enough for you to take a good shot.
Many of them will be attracted to your diffuser, and will jump onto your lens if you get too close. Some species are known to do that more often.
Those guarding their eggs or young will tend to stay at the same spot. Just be careful not to damage the habitat. Once the leaf breaks, the entire family may not survive.
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