Macro: does anyone here shoot dead 'entomology' insects/bugs?

[joxang]

I know someone who's an entomologist with a massive collection and it suddenly dawned on me (I've never shot macro properly) that you could take some of her mounted insects, pose them in different scenes and shoot at your leisure.

I'm sure this has been done before, but does anyone have experience of shooting macro with dead-for-a-while and preserved insects? It means you can shoot with rare and gigantic beetles without going hunting around in exotic locales. The biggest problem I can see is moving their legs to get the little critters to stand up.

 

[modchild]

I've only shot a couple of dead subjects but I know from reading on various forums that a lot of people do, and also that lots of people chill the insects in a fridge to make them more docile. Obviously, they are posed and placed for the photos and I have no idea how they do it, but having used an MP-E65 macro lens for a while I know how difficult it is to use outdoors and seeing some of other peoples photos, a lot must be done post mortem. I only managed to get some good photos of 1 live subject while I had my MP-E, the rest of the good ones were of inanimate objects.

 

[Deleted member 34016]

I shoot lots of live insects and feel if you shoot dead mounted ones there will be a significant difference in the images

Live and wild is a better option me thinks

Les

like this


Orb Spider in Ambush by Lez325, on Flickr

 

[LCPete]

I shoot lots of live inpects and feel if you shoot dead mounted ones there will be a significant difference in the images

Live and wild is a better option me thinks

Les

like this
Uo

Orb Spider in Ambush by Lez325, on Flickr

yep agree with you les I would not want to shoot dead insects part of the fun is looking for them and trying to get near enough before they fly off !
I use a 100mm macro my friend uses the mpe on live subjects and gets great shots

 

[joxby]

It means you can shoot with rare and gigantic beetles without going hunting around in exotic locales. The biggest problem I can see is moving their legs to get the little critters to stand up.

Shooting exotic bugs that we are just not going to see outside of a zoo or something would be an attraction, but I can't get the picture of a giant dead dung beetle with 4 snapped legs out of my head.
I reckon live dung beetles are the way forward unfortunately..

 

[towershot]

Mixed opinions,give it a go ,you're friend will probably knuckle you if you try and shift the legs though.
Have to go with what you've got.:rules: