
Macro photography can open up a whole new world by looking closer at the small details of what's around us; such as insects. There are incredible challenges in getting sharp details of objects at such a high magnification, but the rewards for achieving great macro photography are immense. In this blog post, we will run through our tips and tricks to capture great, close-up images of insects.
What is Macro Photography?
Macro photography is a speciality form of photography that focuses on taking incredibly close-up pictures of tiny objects, frequently revealing subtle features that are difficult for the naked eye to see. Macro photography is enlarging and depicting in great detail minute objects, such as raindrops or insects.
If you want to learn more about macro photography, check out our article What is Macro Photography on the Camera House blog.

What equipment do I need for insect macro photography?
Insect macro photography requires a few pieces of essential equipment to produce crisp, clear, and vibrant images.
Cameras
Any kind of macro photography will benefit immensely from a solid DSLR camera. This is due to the lenses and accessories that can be used interchangeably on a DSLR model.
Lenses
A macro lens is going to be essential to capture the close up details of any insect. Lenses with a 1:1 magnification ratio are going to truly replicate small details in youre images.
If you want to learn more about lenses for macro photography, check out our article Best Camera Lenses for Macro Photography on the Camera House Blog.
Accessories
If you want to be able to manipulate shaddows or ensure that your insect is lit up properly, a flash is going to be essential. An external flash is going to be better than using an inbuilt flash as you’ll have more control. For additional control and to avoid shocking the insect, a diffuser will be really helpful to have in your gear kit too.
The best camera settings for capturing sharp insect photos
Taking macro images can be tricky and take a lot of practice to get the settings right. Below we round up our favourite settings to start you off on the right foot.
- Manual mode: Use manual settings to ensure that you can adjust each setting to achieve great images in every condition.
- Aperture: To get the maximum depth of field and ensure the insect is in focus, we should use a narrow aperture, such as an f8 or higher. To learn more about aperture, check out our article Understanding Aperture.
- Shutter speed: For moving insects, use a fast shutter speed to avoid blurring in your photographs. To learn more about shutter speeds check out our article Shutter Speeds Explained.
- ISO: Try to keep the ISO value as low as possible in macro photography to avoid grain in your image. To learn more about ISO check out our blog article Confused About ISO.
- Focus Points: Ensure you understand how to capture insects by brushing up on capturing focal points with our article Understanding Focal Points.

Pro tips for capturing insects in macro photography
To capture engaging shots of insects with macro photography, here are a few tips and tricks:
Lighting Techniques
The lighting in macro photography plays a really important role in capturing clear and vibrant images. Great lighting will also make insects stand out and all their details sharp.
Natural lighting is often the best source of light to capture insects with the warm light of sunrise and sunset the easiest to work with. For insects, the natural light will make them feel more comfortable and less likely to move than adding in artificial light. If you do need to manipulate your light due to conditions, try using artificial lighting or diffusers to help reduce shadows. LED panels or external flashes are also great accessories to add additional light and create unique effects.
Composition
You can create compelling images by positioning your camera and focal points in a way that will highlight the interesting parts of the insect. Experiment with different depths of perspective to isolate subjects or use shadows to make details stand out. Follow the leading lines and curves of the insect to guide the eye of the photograph to interesting details. Lastly, following the rule of thirds can create a really balanced composition in your images. You can do this by placing the insect in either one or two-thirds of the image.
Consider timing
Insects are more active in the early hours and you’ll be more likely to find many different kinds wandering around outdoors. The early hours will also be a great time to capture insects in a soft, natural light. Another great time to capture images of insects is right after rainfall. Insects tend to emerge from their hiding places after the rain and if there is still cloud cover, this will make the lighting soft and easy to photograph.
Research
Find out all about the insects you want to try and capture so you can gain a better understanding of when and where they are likely to be. This will help you find them, but will also give you an understanding of any behaviours they may have. By also getting to know how they look, you can study images to see what might be interesting about them to capture in your own images. Be it their colours, details or even their shapes.
Learning more about insect macro photography at Camera House
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