Macro photography - Part 11: Water creatures and extension tubes

Golden stonefly nymph (Hesperoperla pacifica) photographed with 105 mm macro + extension tubes.

Camera equipment and water don't play well together in several ways.  First off is the likely destruction of expensive items and second is the difficulty in getting decent shots of anything.  As a result, most of my aquatic macro work is done indoors (usually my trailer) with a simple but reliable setup.

Aquatic creatures can be very small; many of them can really only be photographed using a dissecting or light microscope.  I will go into this on another blog.  A 1:1 reproduction ratio may not be enough to do the job for many organisms, so more magnification will be needed.

Extension tubes are an excellent addition to any macro setup.  These metal cylinders have no glass; their purpose is to move the lens farther away from the camera.  You can use extension tubes on almost any lens, but where they really shine is with a macro lens.  This boots reproduction ratios significantly and can give reproduction ratios boosts up to 2:1 depending on the lens and body used.  

I tend to use extension tubes in the field doing most of my regular macro work as they allow me to get closer if there is need.  So, other than increasing magnification, how do extension tubes affect the image?  There are two other factors.  The first is that light decreases.  Think of a projector 6 feet away from a wall and how bright the image is.  Now, move the projector 12 feet away and what happens?  Not only does the image get larger, it also gets duller - the light is spread over a greater area.

The second factor deals with a decrease in sharpness.  A lens is capable of only so much resolution.  By using extension tubes, you are relying on smaller and smaller portions of the glass to create an image.  This is one of the reasons you want to use your sharpest lenses when doing macro, especially with bellows or extension tubes.

Below is a setup I commonly use when photographing aquatic insects.  I usually use a microscope for smaller creatures.

Common setup I use when photographing aquatic insects.

I have always enjoyed collecting creatures from aquatic ecosystems for study, education, and photography.  I let them go and never expose them to harm.  I make sure there is plenty of water from their environment and do not expose them to chlorine.  Such wonderful creatures make their home in water, both fresh and salt.  It is amazing what you can find in water; even a drop holds wonderful things.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com



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