At the beginning of my photography journey, I had one goal in mind above all others—I wanted to successfully capture the beautiful butterflies and insects in my garden. So, when I finally purchased my first good camera, I coupled it with a Tokina 100mm macro lens—and that’s the only thing I shot with for the next several years.
Of course, as my journey progressed, I eventually picked up other lenses as my interests and adventures expanded. Then, several years back, my brother bought me my latest lens as a surprise birthday gift after I mentioned that I was considering a lens suitable for capturing larger sizes of the moon. Little did I know that it would be that lens which would catapult my photography to new heights. I didn’t realize at first what a fine wildlife lens the Sigma 150- 600 C was, nor could I have envisioned how it would also transform and elevate my insect photography, of all things!
I first began to discover its insect possibilities on my bird and wildlife photo shoots while walking the fields and shorelines of Salt Fork State Park. One day I came across a patch of orange milkweed in a field where many beautiful fritillaries and swallowtails were nectaring. The only lens I had with me was the Sigma, so I cranked it up to 600mm, got as close as I could, and began firing away. To my surprise, the captures turned out amazingly beautiful—with all of the quality of my macro shots and with even better bokeh (background blur)! And so, some of my latest and very best insect captures have been recorded with the Sigma at 600mm on wildlife journeys where I had not specifically set out to capture insects.
I was also beginning to capture some pretty amazing shots of insects in flight at 600mm, and I could never have envisioned such a thing years ago, as I thought that you absolutely had to have a 100mm macro lens to properly capture insects! So, now, after several years of using a zoom lens for capturing stunning insect photos, I would like to share with you some tips on how I accomplish it.
First, you don’t have to use a 600mm lens—I have successfully done the same thing with my Tamron 70-300mm. As far as settings go, I use the same settings that I use for birds and wildlife, which I have saved as my Canon C1 and C2 settings for easy access. The formula is simple; my C1 dial is set to capture wildlife in motion. My settings are Manual Mode, F/6.3, Auto ISO, with a shutter speed of 1/1250 sec., and my camera’s drive set to Continuous Mode. I have captured incredible shots of flying insects at these settings. For insects that are still, I flip to my C2 setting for still wildlife: Manual Mode, F/8, Auto ISO, with a shutter speed of 1/320 sec.
Of course, the key to effectively using those fast shutter speeds is good lighting. I wait until I get a sunny or mostly sunny day; then I go out in late afternoon and shoot through golden hour. After you have captured wildlife and insects at golden hour, you won’t want to shoot them at any other time of the day!
A few more tips include setting my in-camera sharpness as high as it will go so that my zoom lens captures are tack sharp. I always keep the sun at my back, and always try to get on eye level with my subject. No need to be overly concerned with composition—just shoot what the situation gives you, and you will come away with some great captures if the sun is at your back. And if there is any space behind your subject, you will be amazed at the pretty bokeh you will achieve. Make sure your camera is set to capture the largest RAW files possible, because most times you will find it necessary to do some cropping in post processing.
So, if you want to take your insect photography to the next level, get out your zoom lens and head out to a nearby field when the sun is fairly low in the sky. You will be amazed at what happens next!