I started photographing insects about 10 years ago. Here's a shot from the beginning:
Odontomachus haematodus trap-jaw ant (2002, Nikon Coolpix 995)
And a congener, from this week:
Odontomachus rixosus trap-jaw ant (2013, Canon 7D)
Aside from the obvious improvements to technology, what has changed? I'd say my two biggest improvements come from an obsession with simplifying composition so the background doesn't compete with the subject, and from my lowered angles, which elevate subjects to prominence.
Someone remind me to photograph a trap-jaw ant again in 2023. I predict it'll be an ant with a jetpack.
[note: I explain the photographic technique behind the ant-on-black in an earlier post.]
The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Alex Wild
Alex Wild is Curator of Entomology at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studies the evolutionary history of ants. In 2003 he founded a photography business as an aesthetic complement to his scientific work, and his natural history photographs appear in numerous museums, books and media outlets.
