A great tip to get close to subjects that are skittish is to leave the tripod at home. I know this goes against almost every bit of photography advice you've ever been given but by ditching the tripod you will be able to slowly "stalk" the subject and get much closer.
When I am using this technique I only use manual focus and will preset the focus depending on the size of the subject before I start to stalk. Generally for small objects like this fly I will use 1:1, which means that the object will appear life size on the sensor. Using autofocus at this distance is unreliable because it is slow to lock and can make you miss the shot.
You will want to use a larger apeture generally around f10 this will only be possible hand holding if you use a flash. You then can adjust the shutter speed to get the right amount of light. If the background is black like the photo below "drag" your shutter (slow it down) to bring in more ambient light thus making background lighter.
I will hold the camera in my right hand and the flash with a diffuser in the other. Once I'm close enough I will rock the camera back and forth until the desired focus is achieved and then take the shot.
This technique does take a bit of practice but once mastered will open up your macro photography options and you will notice your keeper rate going up. Stay tuned for more examples and tips. Please let me know what you think and enjoy!
I still need some practice
Thats a great start! Ants are hard to photograph, they never sit still.
great shots!! thanks for sharing!!! upvoted and followed!
There are only a handful of photos I actually admire when I look at other people's photography. Probably only 1 in 500 actually impress me. ALL of your photos are crazy impressive. I've done enough macro to be blown away by how sharp and well composed your shots are. Two HUGE thumbs up from me. You're very talented!
Thank you that means alot to me, especially since your work is very impressive! Your landscapes are amazing!
great!! :) Follow!
Thank you!
as michael rosen would say, NICE
Thats great!!! Im glad you enjoyed them
The quality of that last picture is stunning!
Followed :)
Thanks, i really like that one also, generally dosent get the love like pretty butterflys! I am glad you liked it
i keep the flash mostly on top of the camera that way i can control the camera with one hand and support it with my other hand , a specially when i use reversed lens
I use that method as well, but sometimes being able to move the flash for lighting provides stunning results. Like on this butterfly i was able to backlight the wings by holding the flash behind the butterfly.
awesome shot
looks nice too
Thanks!
wow, nice photos, what Lens you use?
I use mostly the Olympus 60mm macro for close up work. Its a great lens and very affordable for the micro 4/3 cameras. In 35mm equivalent its 120mm.
Following u, would love to be followed back.
I'm so glad that I have amazing people around me who can help me to improve my photography skills and knowledge.@soonidrift thank u for the information :)
Anytime! If you ever have any questions let me know. Following u as well cant wait to see some of your work!
I was looking for the useful tips to take goods shots. Thank u so much for such a useful post. I hope i'll learn a lot from you :)
Upvoted!
Following u, would love to be followed back.
Thank you, i followed you as well look forward to seeing some of your shots.
Good advice! Have you tried reversing the lens?
I havent ive read about it, would love to see some exmples of it. I would imagine it gets alot closer than 1:1.
Great!!! I love macrophotography!!! look my pics :)
Good work your frozen emotion post is really good.those all are amazing... I am horrible with people shots.
Thank you so much for these tips. They are very much appreciated.
Thank you, I hope to keep doing things like this, im glad they are useful
Great tips! I'd love to try this sort of photography some time
Yeah i love macro I just opens up so much stuff that is right in front of everybody but most people never pay attention to. Who ever thought that a fly was actually such a cool looking insect.
great tip.
Thanks!