Advanced Insect Macro Photography

MICAEL's OLYMPUS MACRO KIT
💥 Flash: Godox v350o
🔎 Closeup lens: Raynox DCR-250

MICAEL's SONY MACRO KIT

HOW I MAKE MY VIDEOS

For my indoor Youtube videos I currently use these tools that I feel give excellent results and a very simple workflow.
💻 Editing: Macbook Pro M2 with Final Cut Pro

For outdoor filming I prefer a small and simple setup that makes filming myself very easy and fast.

PLEASE TALK TO ME HERE AS WELL:

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Thank you for watching my videos. 🥰

[MicaelWidell]

Thanks for watching! Please also visit my... 🐞 favorite gear: micaelwidell.com/#gear 🐛 lens guide: lensguide.micaelwidell.com 🪳 monthly newsletter: micaelwidell.com 🐜 instagram: instagram.com/mwroll

[dennismwallentin]

When to go out; after a rain fall has passed many insects become more active. When the sun goes down the level of activity tend to increase, even among insects. The book recommendation can be expanded to be general. Unlike YouTube and other sources on the internet books have been proof read and checked that correct knowledge is there in the book. Reviewers are important to get quality. That's why I always promote books 😊

[skeeveskeeve]

Michael I appreciate you doing these videos, I know that coming up with new content all the time can suck all the joy out of photography, so my gratitude is double.

[MichelleCox]

Really nice seeing a macro video that is not for beginners and also is for live insects. Most of the advanced videos for macro are about all the work to do with dead bugs, which I don't photograph.

[SomeonewithaSony]

Please no more square. Please PLEASE. My tv is feeling violated. Please for the love of macro and everything HD…please return to the wide aspect ratio. Please. Not sure if this was indoors Michael that made this decision, but outdoors Michael needs to step in…

[clovishound]

One "trick" I use to get shade on the insect is to wear a broad brimmed hat. I normally wear one when out in the sun to protect my head and face from UV. As a benefit, I have found that it normally shades the subject when shooting most close macro shots. Of course, this only works when I'm using the viewfinder rather than the back screen.

[brauhaus]

So Glad to see you plugging iNaturalist!!!!

[danncorbit]

Good suggestions. I bought some bug books and signed up at inaturalist.

[hjones]

TIP: Wear Waterproof trousers if employing these tactics - The mud cleans off easier, certainly in the UK

[myfork]

thAnk you SO much!! them'r some HAWT tips, yo!

[exputesco]

I understand that you love this square format but i cant deal with it. Those photowalks fit in this artie style but those other videos just waisting screenspace that remains black.

[MrVara]

Outstanding channel. I've learned so much from you! Just got the Oly 60mm F2.8, V350O flash, and AK Diffuser Mini for my Lumix G9ii, mostly based on your recommendations! So thank you!

[marieta.s]

I use kind of an unconventional approach to AF which I am sure it’s wrong but works for me. I set the camera to continuous AF and start moving closer to the subject. It helps because I use a raynox and I cannot find easy the focussing distance. The green confirmation in the screen is a starting point for me.

[ericrobinson]

Another great video. Totally Micael ....advanced tips have mostly nothing to do with the camera or lens but everything to do with the subject and the approach you should take. One piece of advice I would like to add is to cover up and invest in some anti-tic spray. Tics have become more of a serious problem in recent years especially in the UK. Sitting down in long grass is just asking for a tic to jump on board. With Lymes disease a fairly serious condition its well worth it to take some simple precautions and invest in spray or lotion and be mindful of what you wear, with long trousers preferable to shorts. Spray both limbs and clothing to be on the safe side. We all want to take great shots of insects but we don't want to bitten by them especially tics.

[wizard]

Many thanks Micael. Very useful tips. :)

[mikefriel]

Micael, great video as always! Have you tried shooting videos of insects with the OM-1? I put the video settings of my OM-1 for the slowest slow-mo, and the honey-bees can be observed so well as they gather pollen on plum flowers in Korea (using 60mm macro lens). Can't wait for other relatively slow-flying insects to show up. Hope you can do a video like this one day!

[JohnWenzelburgerJW]

If you just want to ID an insect upload the picture to Google Reverse Image Search it will return a dozen or more pictures it thinks look the same, some of these will have descriptions. However, some will be some other insect or the description will be wrong, so don't take the first one you find as correct. This also works for most anything, including plants and flowers. I even uploaded a picture of some droppings (poop).

[nicksavage]

Jumping Spiders❇️
Caterpillars
Amphibians
Nano Fish
Tardigrades waterbears
Brine Shrimp 🦐
Nano Pondlife
Hydra etc
Mosquitoes 🦟

[schleimaguy]

Hello Micael, I love your videos. I'd like to take an adventure into macro photography (i've been a Landscape photographer for 20 years). I know the technical stuff but have a question regarding the lens to use as I also want to do big close-ups (like the head of a fly or the opening image of this video). I for sure will photograph the whole insect but want to be able to come very close to the beautiful eyes of a jumping spider for instance. Is a 2x lens sufficient, cropped if necessary (I'm on FF, Nikon ZII) or do I need the laowa 2, 5x-5x lens?

[kenso]

Tip #3 is probably my favorite. Not only does it help train my eyes for small subjects, but I also have the time to relax for a bit. I've had people ask me where I find so many "strange creatures" for my macro photographies. It's all about relaxing and observing. There's a giant world among a small one 😊