Insects, Arthropods & Arachnids

Beetles & Weevils

Hummingbirds

Birds

Butterflies
and Moths

Invertebrates and fish

Amphibians & Reptiles

Plants, Flowers & Lichens

Mushrooms 

Mammals

Not Macro

Other Macro

Wee Beasties is used here to describe macro and close up photography of anything small such as animals, plants, and objects.

The "Wee Beasties" name was transformed from the Dutch language to English using the word “animalcules” (small animals), and was first used by the Dutch scientist and father of microscopy Antonie van Leeuwenhoek,  (1632-1723). 

Leeuwenhoek used Wee (very small or diminutive) Beasties to describe the small animals he discovered in drops of pond water. How else could he have possibly described these little beasts that look like Japanese "B" movie monsters when seen for the first time?

Not everything I photograph is macro or close up but can include larger images like landscapes, mammals and people.

True macro photography is when a 1:1 ratio (often noted as 1X) of the actual life size subject to the image size on the camera sensor are the same.

Many of my images are close up and not true macro. 

Nikon camera maker uses the word micro but Canon camera maker uses macro, but they mean the same thing. The word macro means big, whereas the word micro mean small. If the subject you are photographing is small and you want to make it look big, you end up with a “macro” view of a “micro” subject. Photography of the smallest and finest details is one of the main differences between macro, and close up photography. Also, when shooting small subjects with a macro lenses at their closest focusing distance, the depth of field (or the area in focus) is going to be extremely shallow making it impossible to capture focused images of the whole subject from front to back. That is when you must use some type of focus stacking. This is done by taking several images at different focus points, then merge them all into a single image that is entirely in focus.

Macro lenses can be expensive because they have  multiple glass elements and require precise focus, small resolution and low light diffraction. A true macro lens allows the photographer to capture finer detail that otherwise could not be seen even when cropped from a up close image. For example, the compound eye pattern of a dragonfly.

Here is an example. If you photograph a 1-cm-long object and it physically takes up 1 cm of space on your 36mm camera sensor, then you are working at a life-size, 1:1 (or 1.0x) magnification. If you photograph something that is 4 cm long and it takes up 1 cm of space on your sensor, you are working at a 1:4 (0.25x) magnification and, if you photograph something 1 cm long and it takes up 2 cm of space on your camera sensor, you are working greater than life-size at a 2:1 (2.0x) magnification. 

It is difficult to not confuse image size to magnification size. They are not the same.

How can insect photography be so controversial? Here I discuss my 10 points about what is ethical and not ethical with "insect nature" photography.

I want your comments and hope others can add to and offer different perspectives  stories, and experiences  that will make for better photography and add to the conversation.

I welcome factual, respectful opposing opinions,  but this is not the place for any questionable language, name calling or inflammatory language. Use the Golden Rule and treat others as you would like to be treated.

Photo critique can include identifying aspects of the photo that made it appealing or not such as focus, color, lighting, patterns, focal point, leading lines, S- curve, framing (rule of 3rd), texture, juxtaposition, opposites, etc. If you think the species is not accurate make a suggestion.

If you don’t like the photo explain why.