What is the best lens for macrophotography? In an earlier post I argued that long lenses, 100mm and more, are great for photographing small subjects that are easy to scare off, and need to be photographed from a distance. They are also handy if you want to isolate your subject from its background. But what…
Category: Equipment
Macro lenses: longer is better (sometimes)
What is the best lens for insect macrophotography? I am asked this question every now and then, and the answer is always: “It depends.” The choice of your macro lens in nature photography depends on which aspects of your subject interest you the most. True macro lenses come in different focal lengths, but they all…
Improvising with light
One of the more valuable skills in nature photography is the ability to improvise, and make do with what you have at hand. I would love to be able to have all my equipment with me every time I take a walk in an interesting area, but this is never the case. The one predictable…
Wide angle macro
Although I consider myself primarily a macro photographer, my favorite lenses are not those designed for macrophotography, but rather those that are used chiefly for landscapes and other large subjects. I am talking of course about wide angle lenses, which means lenses of the focal length shorter than 50mm. Many photographers are surprised to discover…
Out of Africa
A few days ago I came back from Mozambique, where I had spent 8 weeks conducting a comprehensive survey of orthopteroid insects (katydids, grasshoppers, and their allies) of the Gorongosa National Park. Needless to say, I also took a lot of photos; 14,520 to be exact. I thought that I went there well-prepared for any…
The Smaller Majority 