Photo Tip: Artificial Light

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Artificial light like flash or spotlight can fix bad natural light or lessen the negative effect of light coming from the wrong direction.

Flash light

We always keep a flash in our camera bag. This is the most underrated piece of photographic equipment for the nature photographer, as it alone can rescue a disastrous photograph.

Beginner tip

Learn the strength of your flash. Most entry-level cameras don't have a very strong built-in flash, so during the day the subject has to be very close to the camera for the flash to make any difference to the image. Experiment and determine under what conditions the flash will be strong enough.

Pro tip

Whatever your flash-related question is, off-camera flash is very often the answer. Invest in a wireless flash trigger system or an off-camera flash cord. An off-camera flash will give your photograph a more three-dimensional quality.

How you can take a similar image

  • Lens: Macro lens.

  • Settings: Small aperture. Low ISO.
  • How: Set the exposure mode of the camera to manual, on a setting closest to 1/200 at f22, to eliminate all normal light on the subject. Set the flash exposure compensation to 0. Use an off-camera flash from the other side of the plant to bring out the texture of the insect wings.
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