The ubiquitous iPhone isn't designed for macro photography, but when the subject is as large as this 3-inch lubber the little camera's optics do just fine.
The challenge of making this photo was not optics but lighting. I built a white-box studio using foam boards from an office supply store, printer paper, and a desk lamp inserted facing upward in the box. The bounced light was softer than direct light, and as a result I achieved a professional-looking image even though the shoot was conducted with little more than standard office supplies and a phone camera.
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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.