Intro

I am writing this because I believe knowledge should be shared...sharing is one of the main ingredients of the recipe for a better world.
Although I'm not a professional, over time I learned and discovered a lot and at least a small part I hope to transmit here.Apart from the occasional portraits and landscape shots my main field is insect extreme/regular macro photography.Being a passion that goes hand in hand with another craze I got (entomology) it takes most of my free time and tons of effort and money but the rewards can be very satisfying.
Of course it is also a big source of frustration as there are countless factors working against you getting the perfect close-up, and patience is key.
The methods I will present here are not perfect for everyone and definitely not the only way for taking close ups.Getting the skills requires time and a A LOT of experimenting.Remember that for digital photography the film is free, so don't be afraid to try stuff on your own.Also I believe in self teaching at your own pace therefore I took no courses and never had some one to give me all those good "tips" and "secrets".
Insects represent over 90% of all the life forms on Earth, therefore people should certainly study and respect them a lot more then they do.
Almost all of my insects are photographed in the natural environment.I don't freeze them, or glue them, or nail them down or anything that would lead to harming my "model".The first time I found a praying mantis I carefully took it home so I could use some lighting and a better posture and returned it to the exact same place I found it, completely unharmed.My goal is to show people this wonderful microcosm in a way that is not possible or at least very difficult with the naked eye.
The best time to get some really nice shots is from early spring to mid summer and as early in the morning as you can because as soon as the sun warms those little critters, crawlers and flyers up it will get extremely difficult to get them standing still for a decent shot.

Gear description

OK, now the part with the gizmos and gadgets.For my extreme close-ups I am using a Canon EOS 550D with a Canon 100mm USM Macro lens,cheap extension tubes and a cheap macro ring flash.With rare exceptions, I shoot exclusively handheld.Nothing too fancy but it does the job. The hole setup is pretty big and heavy considering that for most of the shots I am crawling on the ground,tip towing through bushes and branches,stretching, holding my breath when I press the shutter release and using all kinds of contorted postures...it can still be rewarding :)
I also use a battery grip for the Canon 550D because it gives more autonomy and provides that precious counterweight to give a better handle of the setup.
I recommend investing in a dedicated macro lens because I have tried many improvisations and by far this is how you will get that stunning sharpness people like.It's not cheap but it's worth it.Choosing a macro lens depends on your preferences and considering how close will you want to get to your subject.The shorter the focal length of the lens the closer you have to be thus scaring away that beautiful butterfly you've benn chasing for half a mile.In s mutshell, anything shorter then 100mm will make it more difficult, but not impossible, to get shots of easily startled creatures.
Alternatives to a dedicated macro lens are close up filters (diopters), reversing the lens, a tele zoom lens with a macro switch and extension tubes mounted in front of a regular lens.
Close up/macro filters can be attached to the front of any normal lens, and what they basically do is reduce the minimum focusing distance allowing you to get closer to the subject and producing a magnifying effect.You can even stack 2,3 or more filters on one another to get closer and closer but of course the more you use the smaller the dept of field (in focus area) will be.Also a tripod is recommended if you don't have a flash.These filters are usually pretty cheap so you can give them a try.Check the diameter of your lens, usually 52mm,58 mm,etc. and buy the filters accordingly.
Most tele zoom lenses are equipped with a macro switch that you can turn on when zoomed for example at 200mm, that will allow you to get closer to the subject much like the filters do but this time the advantage is that you do away with the distortion and loss of quality that the filter induces.This will produce better quality images and with less headache but of course, if you can afford a good tele zoom lens but what you want is macro,then add a few bucks and go for the dedicated glass . Definitely worth it.

Extension tubes

This is another way of achieving extreme magnification.ETs are cheap and will get you pretty good results.they come in different lengths and like macro filters can be stacked on top of each other for increasing the magnification.What they do is keep the lens further away from the camera's sensor thus giving you some of that precious magnification you are looking for.Similar downside is again, that the DOF decreases considerably.If you use them with a tele zoom lens or even better, a macro lens you will get spectacular results.
I use extension tubes to go beyond 1:1 magnification of the subject,and bring forth those stunning details.When using high magnification you will notice that the slightest movement will affect the framing and even your breath will be a huge obstacle, not to mention the wind and other unpleasantries.learn to control your breathing for a steady shot.

Lighting

Unless you have the best ambient light possible (highly unlikely) you will also need a flash for your macro photography.
Can also do without but the results will surely be different.
The recommended one would be a dedicated macro ring flash, and you can get some cheaper copies of the brand ones out there if you're like me and you can't afford an original brand name unit.
A personal advice is to wait a bit longer and save some money for the original stuff because buying the cheap replicas will eventually lead to bigger expenses when finally you decide to pay for the quality that the brand name product offers. (tested and verified by yours truly)

Camera settings

The overwhelming majority of my macro work is done with my camera mode dial set to M (manual)
On manual you get the freedom a good buttons addict needs.I keep my shutter speed around 1/125 and depending on the existing light the aperture will be at f/8 to even f/16 and beyond.
I tend to leave the white balance and exposure compensation on auto and deal with that in post processing.Helpful if the weather and light keeps changing by the minute like in my case.
The flash is set to medium power and I rarely need to change it.

Post Processing

This actually is a very important step in you work as a photographer and only after you go into it head first you will comprehend it's true importance.
I myself was very reluctant but found out there are little to no workarounds.
I'm not a photoshop expert, I personally find it to complex so I use Adobe Lightroom. A very simple and intuitive software that will reveal it's power to you once you take the time to investigate it.
Well, that's about it.I barely scratched the surface and many details were not covered, but I hope at least in a small way I was helpful.For any question don't hesitate to drop me an email.
Arm yourself with lots of patience and go out into nature.A friend asked me where did I find the subjects from my photos, those "weird" insects and she was surprised to find out that they were all from the small patch of forrest a mile away from where she lived.Just go out in the green,lay down in the grass and listen...look around you.You will see then that is it possible to spend many hours on just a few meters of ground, shoot like crazy and have lots of fun while learning new things about our small, spinning chunk of rock that we so ignorantly rape and destroy.

If you want to see more of my work check out jester.zenfolio.com

If you want to buy a photo drop me an email.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Jester