Exclusive tricks for ladybug macro photography!
Hi, everybody!
In this tutorial, I want to tell you something about my biggest passion: Ladybug photography. Many people asked me how to achieve the crisp sharp images while getting as close to the ladybug as possible. I actually did not learn these tips from the internet, I made them up for myself. And I want to share them. So continue to read. ;)
1. What is a ladybug? Ladybugs belong to the family of Coccinellidae. The most common one is red and has black spots. The amount of spots is NOT telling you how old the ladybug is (many people may think like that) ;) They tell you the species, depending on the amount of dots and the location. Ladybugs eat aphids, which is really good for garden owners. They also keep away many more little insects which would destroy your plants. Enough food for the little critters also means they do not have to eat each other.. Yes, when they begin to starve, they may start cannibalism! :O
2. Where can I find ladybugs?
Actually it is not that easy to find ladybugs. Some people say it is quite simple, because they have certain places where they find these little critters. But even the internet does not know exactly where to search for them. People say plants where many aphids live are a good place to search, and from my experience, this may be tomatoes, and blackberries. You can normally find them from March until October. When it gets colder, a lot of ladybugs meet and sleep together to survive the winter. After the winter, they start populating and die afterwards. The larvae have to develop. So when you want to find them, search in the early summer months, in this time they are most populated! Unfortunately I could not find any of them this year. But why? It is simple. In Germany we had a big wasp plague. They were everywhere, and unfortunately wasps love to eat ladybugs. That's why they were gone this year...
3. Why do people love ladybugs that much?
- Ladybugs are considered to bring good luck. It is said when you find a ladybug, count its dots. The more, the more luck you will get.
- The gardeners love them, since they are a natural pesticide and eat the plant-destroying insects like aphids.
- And last but not least: Their appearance is simply cute in comparison to other insects. Although red is a warning color in nature, people still think they are darn cute due to their round shell and the white points on their front shell which look like eyes (but actually are not!). Kids love them, they like it when ladybugs walk around their hand to get away as fast as they can. They climb the mighty long finger and spread their wings to fly away. It is cute, and compared to a wasp, a flying ladybug is much less aggressive and frustrating.. Additionally, it does not hurt you with biting or stinging when treated wrong.
4. General tips to take pictures of them
Many people say "Go outside in the morning and in the late evening, then all the insects will stand still and you have enough time to take pictures", but as far as I experienced it, ladybugs hide at night, and they are hard to find when it is early or too late. When I search for them, I use the afternoon hours, mostly after 2PM. Why 2PM and not noon? Because at noon the light is way too hard. You'll get hard shadows. If you use a diffusor, you could of course take pictures at noon, but since I only take pictures with my camera and no other helpful device, I do not take pictures at noon.
5. What do I need for ladybug macro photography?
You actually do not need a macro lens. A prime lens with a closeup-filter is also okay. Generally you will need:
- a camera, preferably a camera where you can change the lenses (I own the Nikon D5000)
- a lens, which has a focal length over 50mm, preferably a macro lens (I own the Tamron 90mm f/2.8)
- a ladybug
If you have enough money (haha...) you could also use:
- a tripod (which I absolutely do NOT recommend)
- a flash (which I also no NOT recommend :D )
- closeup-filters (if you have a 50mm lens. To get a bigger magnification)
6. Ok, I found a ladybug and have equipment. What are your tips?
- Normally ladybugs sit in bushes. When you want to take pictures freehand, you will almost always get a shaky image. Try to take the ladybug to a place which you can use as a natural tripod. I often use the floor.
- Don't be overimpulsive. Stay calm and do not touch the ladybug more than necessary. It will try to get away. It is difficult to work that fast, but you will need to develop a calm hand to get things right. Focusing is extremely difficult, especially when you take macros, because they move that fast and even a millimeter can ruin your whole picture. Look at the videos to see how difficult it is to focus. all gifs belong to me.
- Try to get eye-to-eye with the critter. Taking pictures from above are not breathtaking. They do not have depth, they do not show the wonderful little world the ladybug lives in. To accomplish a feeling that you are involved in the whole scenery, it's time to possibly get dirty clothes. Lay down. This will help you to get a bigger depth, and of course you have a calmer hand because you can use the floor as a tripod.
But remember: Be careful when you try to shoot from "down-under". You may have a lovely bokeh and a sharp ladybug, but the focus point may be blocked by objects in the foreground!
- Get close! Do not be shy. Ladybugs cannot hurt you. All they can do is flying away. So be brave and approach as much as your minimum focussing range allows it! Otherwise it may look like this..
- Try to avoid direct sun. As I mentioned before, direct sun causes hard shadows.
But my biggest tip is: Try to focus properly. Otherwise you will have perfectly composed pictures being unsharp. And that's what makes my heart cringe everytime.
Especially the last picture made me go insane...
But if you have passion, time and a high frustration tolerance ( :D ) you could get images like these:
