Macro photography - Part 10: Techniques (part 3)

Photographing insects where you find them:  Black ant on peony.

While it is true that some insects are easy to find, the vast majority of them keep hidden as a means of self preservation.  It's the hidden ones that require the extra effort.  For this you will need to develop collection techniques or, in this case, a combination of search and find with a fair measure of luck thrown in.

There are creatures likely present wherever you are.  The trick is in knowing where to look to find them.  This usually means moving things out of the way, looking under things, and searching for signs that something lives here.  I have parted leaves to find katydids, lifted rocks to find ground beetles, turned leaves upside down to find caterpillars, and sorted through leaf litter to find salamanders.  Of course, there is more, but the general idea here is that most creatures are not in the habit of showing themselves.  You have to find them, and that means moving things and looking.

My first choice is always to photograph the creature in its native environment.  If the subject is fast, I will usually catch it and try some of my other methods.  However, I have managed to get quite a few good shots of such microfauna just by uncovering where they are.  The slower a creature is, the more likely it will keep hidden.  

Insects that are found in the open are usually the ones that have little reason to be worried.  Tree hoppers are well camouflaged.  Bombardier beetles have a strong chemical defence.  You know only too well about bees and wasps.  Then there are those creatures that use mimicry - they look harmful but are, in fact, rather tasty to would-be predators.  Flower flies, wasp-moth and numerous other creatures use black and yellow patterns to warn predators of their impending doom.  Some are no threat at all, while others are seriously toxic.  See image below.

Top:  Non-toxic mimics.  Wasp-moth, two species of flower fly.
Bottom:  Very toxic creatures.  Poison arrow frog and cinnabar moth caterpillar. 

The key is to not just look at the surface.  You won't find something amazing under every leaf you turn, but eventually something will turn up.  My rule of thumb in looking for snakes, salamanders, and other such vertebrates is you find something for every 100 rocks/logs you lift.  It's similar for insects, although there are far more of them around.  Keep at it, and you will eventually find something.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com