Shutter Speed & Insects in Flight

Capturing moving subjects is a challenge but when they are flying as well it adds another dimension.

Do you make everything stop or only part of it so it has the feeling of movement? Both look good if done well.

Shutter speed is the key. If you wish to still the movements of bees for  example, you may need to have a speed of around 1/800th sec or higher if you wish to still the wings as well. . Assuming your focus is accurate your subject will be sharp.

To show partial movement, eg wings moving your shutter speed can come down. For this bee (see photo) to 1/500th sec.

Try following the insect whilst looking through the viewfinder, focussing, and when you have it sharp, squeeze the shutter gently. You could try multiple frame shooting (burst) to see if you get several shots to choose from. Working on a tripod will be difficult unless you have a flower you can line up on and wait. This is one instance where hand holding with a lens that has good image stabilisation is probably the best choice.

Try manual exposure for consistency. Auto exposure could give very variable results as the moment you press the shutter button, it will take the reading from whatever is in view. Because the subject is small and the exposure point might see the background rather than the insect, it could be shade or sun! 

Experiment with different shutter speeds. Find a plant with good nectar so the insects stay long enough to get lots of shots. The best time to get this is on a winless, sunny day just after cold and rainy days. Then the insects will be hungry and the flowers full of nectar as the insects haven't been warm enough to come out and feed.

Full sun is a bonus as it allows you to have very high shutter speeds whilst keeping a low ISO. In Winter or late Autumn the angle of the sun is also low enough to have light from the side even if it is approaching mid day. This angled light means you can avoid top light, which creates shadows in the wrong places.

These shots where taken during a Back to Basics Level 1 Class as we were practising focus and exposure. Our students got some wonderful shots as well!

Enjoy Shooting!