This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Earlier, I mentioned that chilling active insects to more easily photograph them can give unnatural results. How is the intrepid photographer to work with animals that do not sit still?
A strategy that works well with species that build nests- especially, bees, wasps, and ants- is to find and stake out their nest entrances. The effort in locating a nest is often returned several-fold in time saved capturing a composed, properly focused photograph. Even the most frenetic wasp will pass through the predictable focal plane of her nest entryway. Not only are the points of action repeatable, many insects pause briefly as they emerge from the nest, waving their antennae for a few extra photogenic moments as if to survey the path ahead.
The nest entrance trick has two additional benefits. First, composition and lighting are simplified compared to when tracking a moving subject. You will be able to experiment with angle, lighting, and placement of elements in the shot so that you are ready when the subject appears. Second, your photographs will show real behaviors, with greater natural history value and more interest for the viewer.
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The best way to locate a nest will depend on the species. Ants are straightforwardly earthbound. Just give foragers a bit of cookie small enough to carry but large enough to see, and follow her home.
Flying insects are more difficult. I have found it easier to look for nests in the appropriate habitats and wait for incoming insects to point the way. Many solitary bees and wasps nest in abandoned beetle burrows in dead wood. You'd be surprised at what you might find living in old telephone poles, stumps, trees, and wooden fenceposts.
The drawback of the nest entrance trick, of course, is that most insect species don't nest. If you are after flies, or beetles, or any other active subject that does not provision its young, you will need to rely on some other method. I'll be covering a couple of those later this week.