My favorite subjects are those most easily overlooked and dismissed, insects! Insect macro photography is not for the faint of heart or easily scared. Many times I found myself coming within a couple of inches from a subject that could have easily caused the best of bug hunting days to end badly.
So lets start on a list of items to get started. Point and shoot cameras these days can give remarkable results but for the best results a single-lens reflex camera (SLR)or (DSLR) would net you the most noticeable "macro" photos, I use the Nikon D80. Should you choose a SLR then the matter of one of the many macro specialty lens comes into play, I use a Sigma 1:1 105mm. From this point on you can go two ways; attach the camera to a tripod then focus on a flower or leaf and wait for the action to come to you OR get a flash unit, ring or speed, and go look for the action. I prefer the stalking approach using the pop-up flash and the wireless CLS (Creative Lighting System) with a SB600 speed light. With two sources of light it becomes a matter of letting the pop-up fill the horizontal areas in front of the camera and using the SB600 to shoot more light into the frame where desired. Then there are teleconverters, which allow you to get closer to the subject at a price of losing f/stops, and converter rings, which enable the user to attach 2 lenses together, which is a complete different ball game which we will play at a later point in time.
Many bug shooters, along with me, want to capture nature in all its beauty and believe killing and posing the little guys we are taking pictures of is not good etiquette. Chasing anthropods around the backyard can become frustrating but with a little patience you'll find they, more times than not, seem to enjoy their picture taken.
There is a world of wonder below our feet that gets passed by daily without a glance. Take time to enjoy the bugs.
For a more informative indepth
guide on macro photography visit----------> http://photo.net/learn/macro/
