Then and now

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
~Socrates


Looking at old photos never fail to brighten up my mood. Today I browsed my Flick gallery to cure my Monday blues. I examined old shots, figured out why some sucked, commended myself for nice captures and I also checked out EXIF data which made me realize that it's been 2 years since the day I started stalking bugs for photos. It also means that my compact camera has been a good company as it will turn 2 in a few weeks' time.

I always get good comments about my insect photos. The truth is, a couple of years ago, I thought getting a sharp photo of a bumblebee was next to impossible. Behold a blast from my out-of-focused past:

It was a fiasco, to say the least. I obviously didn't know anything about camera settings then. I found out how difficult it was to get a decent shot of winged creatures. Others may have given up at that point, but the masochist in me apparently took over. I kept on challenging myself until I was able to produce bumble bee photos of better quality. The photo below was from my 2008 summer album:



Before getting hooked on insect photography, flowers were my favorite subjects. Then it occurred to me that flower photography can be quite boring. I thought that they will always look the same anyhow. Who wouldn't be bored with a dull photo like this one:

Lack of light made the image lifeless, but that time I didn't know the significance of weather condition to photographs. I just took photos whenever I want to, until I finally realized that the details are better on shots taken on sunny days. Since then, I made it a point not to bother shooting on gloomy days. I ignored flowers for a few months until visits to photostreams of some friends inspired to take photos of beautiful blooms again.

I still take photos after 7PM, but only when the evening light is just right. Subjects that have blue, yellow and violet colors are not easy to take photos of. Based on my experience, soft natural light- a bit on the yellow side- makes a huge difference. Right lighting, framing, focus and voila! A bright and cheery photo:


Another obvious difference between my old and new pics is my distance from the subjects. I've learned that with macros shots, taking photos from a super closer range will yield good results. Getting very close to flowers is a piece of cake, however, with bees, wasps and the like, it can be a different story. I've been exposing myself to risks of stings from my usual subjects, but guess what? So far only the non-subjects, namely: stinging nettles, ants and mosquitoes, ruin my perfect days. The wasps and bumble bees have been harmless. According to Robert Capa: "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." With his wise words in mind, I will continue to shoot subjects from a few centimeters until my camera retires. Moreover, I promise that unfocused shots will forever belong to my past.