How to Photograph Bugs
- 1). Find your bugs. Good places to look for bugs are around light bulbs, especially in the dark, in tall grass or right before or after a rain when they are most active. Bugs may surprise you in the oddest places, such as your TV screen or window in the middle of nowhere, that also make for good shots. Unless you are incredibly quick and your camera is incredibly powerful, it’s best to look for bugs that are on the ground rather than zipping through the air. Big bugs, like stately grasshoppers, beetles and giant moths are easier to shoot than the teeny insects.
- 2). Prepare your camera. Stand far enough back so you can zoom in at high level to get as many details of the bug as possible. Many digital cameras also have a feature called “Macro” for taking close-up shots. As long as you are close enough to the bug to get fine details. Do not zoom your lens all the way when using the “Macro” function or your bug will be blurry.
- 3). Move the bug if need be. You can use a corner of cardboard to gently move the bug to a better background, knock him off the wall onto the floor or position him away from items that detract from him. Do this carefully or you’ll end up with a photo of a mushed bug.
- 4). Maneuver as necessary. Move yourself around the bug, trying out different angles: side shots, bird’s eye view, head-on, etc.
- 5). Take multiple shots. No matter what angle you are angling at, take several shots of what seems like the same photo. When you review them, you'll see all are slightly different. This gives you a host from which to choose to end up with the best.
