How to Shoot Bugs, Blooms, and Other Backyard BeautiesDave Blinder uses the Tamron SP 90mm lens for his macro photography adventures. |
Article By Jennifer Gidman Images by Dave Blinder |
Some photographers always go after the big picture, but Dave Blinder knows that huge photo opportunities can also come in small packages. His canvas is the natural terrain of northern New Jersey, where he captures native wildflowers, friendly amphibians, and resident insects with his Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 macro lens. "I need a lens that's light enough to handhold and that can get really close to my subjects," he says. "To be able to carry the 90mm around and not have to use a tripod is great. Plus, I do a lot of manual focusing, especially on the eyes of the insects and salamanders I see. The 90mm gives me such easy access to the controls with its large focusing barrel." |
Read on for some of Blinder's big tips on capturing some of the Northeast's tiniest subjects. |
Know when your subjects will be out and about - and what they're going to do. |
Insects are more unpredictable, though. If it's a rainy day, they might not be out in droves. Going out on a hot, sunny summer day, though, you're bound to see more and up your chances of one landing in front of you for a nice photo. |
Find the right background that shows off your subject. |
I always try to ask myself, "How am I going to show this off? Will that moss look good behind the salamander? What type of flower will this butterfly or moth look best against?" You'll often find that the best background is a clear one, one that doesn't have a lot of branches going this way and that way behind your subject and distracting viewers from what you really want them to see. |
Look for optimum lighting and isolate your subject. |
With flowers, you want to follow a similar technique. One of the wildflowers that blooms in the spring here in New Jersey is the trout lily, and I was lucky enough to find this specimen with such dramatic lighting already on it. The background is all natural: It's just the woodlands way behind the flower in the distance, which I was able to blur out so you just see the gracefulness and details of the flower. |
Don't be afraid to get as close as possible. |
That said, you may want to leave a little room. With the salamanders, for instance, I like to have some space around them in the frame for compositional purposes. I'll move as close as I can, then pull back a bit so I have a nice border around the animal. |
For example, I had never seen one of the insects shown here, the one with the strangely big eye. It was almost comical to see! That's the beauty of macro, and of this 90mm lens: I'm constantly surprised by the amazing details it brings out and the world it opens up to me. |
To see more of Dave Blinder's work, go to http://flickr.com/davidraymond. |