Photographing Insects: Positioning the Camera
From which angle should you photograph your insects?
You can shoot insects from many different angles: from above, the side, the front, and so on. Here I investigate the effects of these choices, and how they influence the focus.
An extended version of this article has appeared in my free book My Journey into Insect Photography that you can download here.
When you start photographing insects you are already happy if you manage to take the picture before the animal flies away, and when the image is sort of sharp. But over time you get more critical. Sharpness and lighting should be good, the background should not be too distracting, and the composition should be nice.
Positioning the camera at the best angle with respect to the insect becomes important, but it is also difficult, due to the constrained environment and unwilling subjects. Positioning the camera has profound effects on the way the viewer experiences the photo, and it also leads to technical issues, in particular relate to depth of field.
Top-down
When you look at Facebook groups on insects, most of the shots are from above, looking down at the insect, sometimes under a slight angle. Often, the angle is from behind, which normally does not make for a nice shot, but is sometimes unavoidable because the insect turns away from you. (And there are exception, like in the image above, I think.)
Many insects sit in low bushes below you, so this is the easiest shot to take. It can be nice when the insect has an interesting back pattern, like many plant bugs or butterflies. It is also good for identification. I myself take very few of these top-down shots.
Top-down shots are the easiest when trying to focus. The whole insect is in the same depth plane and you only need to get a very small depth range sharp. But make sure you are indeed straight above the insect.
From the side
To take a shot from the side, you probably have to get down, to be at the same height as the insect. I normally wear knee pads when photographing insects. These are used by construction workers. Put them on before you start. It looks a bit silly, but it works really great. You can now easily kneel down for all these lower shots, without getting hurt or getting your pants dirty or wet. It is so much more comfortable. And on your knees, you are much more stable, which helps in taking the shots.
A shot from the side shows a lot more detail of the insects. You can see the legs, the antennas and, most importantly, an eye. Focus on the eye. If the eye is not in focus, the image will not work. Because the viewer is on a level with the insect, there is more of a connection. She is part of the scene, not just an observer.
With side shots, you can get the whole insect in focus because it sits in the same depth plane. You do though need a bit more focus depth because legs and, in particular, antennas will stick out of it. But for an interesting shot, you do not always need to get them fully in focus.
When the insect is sitting on a ledge, you can also separate him better from the background. The background will be more blurry, and when using a flash it also becomes darker.
I like these shots, although I often take a slightly higher point of view to also show a bit of the back of the insect. This gives more depth.
Under an angle
Rather than putting the whole insect in the same plane, either top-down or from the side, you can also try to photograph it under an angle. I sometimes photograph the insect under an angle of some 45 degrees from the front and a bit from above. This gives a nice overview of the whole insect and puts some emphasis on the head.
With this type of shot, it is almost impossible to get the whole insect in focus, especially when it is small and you need a large magnification. Also, it does not work well with long antennas or legs. The hornet in the image above is large, so you don’t need a large magnification. It has only small antennas and legs, so you can get most of it in focus.
From the front
When you take an image straight from the front of the insect, this has a strong effect on the viewer. You feel being looked at. And when the insect is a bit creepy, like the spider below, this can make people actually shiver.
With such shots, you completely lose the structure of the insect. They are difficult to recognize. But that is obviously not the point of such an image.
Focus becomes a serious issue, especially when you want to do a close-up. As always, focus on the eyes. You might need focus stacking to get a large enough part of the insect in focus like I did with the spider above.
Not many insects will let you take such shots, but if they do and you can approach them this way, try it out.
Another example
To see the effect of the different positions on the same insect, here you see three photos of a weevil of the genus Curculio.
- The first shot is taken from the side (slightly from behind) and under a 45-degree angle from the top. This is how people often photograph insects. Because insects tend to turn away from you, you have no other choice, unless you are very fast. This type of shot works well for identification. It is easy to get the full insect in focus. because the whole insect lies in the same depth plane.
- The second shot is from an angle from the front. I think this increases the involvement. The insect is coming towards you. You still get a good overview of the total insect. Total focus is still possible but harder to achieve. In this particular image, it also helps that the snout with the antennas is sticking out over the edge of the leaf, making it better visible.
- The third shot is directly from the front. This is the most exciting. The insect is looking you in the eyes. But the global structure of the insect is lost. It is no longer possible to get the full insect in focus. In particular, the interesting antennas are no longer visible.
I normally prefer the middle one, although I might have taken a slightly lower point of view if the weevil would have let me. I do though also take a shot from above for identification, if possible. But this is all a matter of taste.
Conclusions
You can photograph insects from many different angles. It might though be hard to get the camera in the desired position. The insects do not collaborate. I often bend myself in difficult postures to get to the correct place, sometimes resulting in muscle strain. And you get the additional problem of focus.
But variation is good and the insect shots become way more interesting to look at. Think about what you want to achieve. Do you want to show the beautiful colors of butterfly wings? Do you want to show the intricate structure of the insect? Or do you want to scare the viewer with an insect that looks like it is about to attack? You can create all of these by simply changing the angle.
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Mark Overmars is a dedicated insect photographer that loves to share and regularly publishes about his work and about photography in general. You can visit his website at www.insectphotography.org. Download his free insect photography book at www.insectphotography.org/book.
