Photographer Turns Worry into Fascination By Her Macro Insect Photographs

Marit van Ekelenburg turns “fear into fascination” by revealing the sweetness, range, and ecological significance of bugs and different invertebrates by macro images.

To some, the arthropod kingdom of bugs and arachnids has been unjustly vilified. In response, Ekelenburg snaps small portraits with massive which means, exhibiting {that a} demure weevil, a fuzzy leaping spider, or a furry robber fly might be simply as endearing as a eucalyptus-branch-clinging koala.

A Macro Manifesto

Ekelenburg’s photographic love affair started with “amateurish holiday snaps” on a smartphone digicam, which led to the area of interest of “extreme macro.” When she started clicking in 2018, she began with a Canon however now additionally makes use of an OM-D E-M1 Mark III by OM System.

Ekelenburg usually makes use of an M.Zuiko 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS Pro lens, which she describes as an “insect photographer’s dream.” For instance, this tiny weevil, solely about one-tenth of an inch, was captured through a 90mm lens and an MC-20 2.0x converter. That stated, she’ll work with a variety of optics relying on the setting and topic, starting from 25mm to 150mm, handbook or autofocus.

To obtain such mellow, otherworldly backgrounds, Ekelenburg makes use of a diffuser, a light-shaping instrument that disperses mild to offer the specified degree of soppy or dreamy illumination.

To tease out the small print, she additionally leverages focus bracketing and stacking — a method that refers to taking a number of images of an insect at totally different focal distances, then mixing them collectively to supply a larger depth of area. She provides ultimate touches by balancing the colours and textures by enhancing software program like Affinity Photo V2.

Accentuating Arthropods’ Importance

As a results of Ekelenburg’s effort and technical know-how, every small topic exudes as a lot character as a human portrait, highlighting a “miraculous” pure world of seemingly limitless range.

After all, nature has been at it since time immemorial. The origin of bugs could also be immemorial to the Earth itself; whereas the oldest fossils are about 400 million years previous, genetic analysis means that bugs emerged circa 480 million years in the past. They developed alongside the early terrestrial crops and helped fully change the face of the planet.

Today, bugs help ecosystems in some ways. They preserve Earth inexperienced by pollination, and it’s not simply bees upholding international meals chains: science says that “insects other than bees are efficient pollinators providing 39% of visits to crop flowers.” Insects additionally decompose natural matter, clear particles from water, eat mosquitoes (illness vectors), and increase crop yields by controlling weeds and pests.

Arthropod skills are simply as intriguingly boundless. Pseudoscorpions are arachnids that use different bugs like a taxi service. Pseudoscorpions will use their pedipalps (the appendages round their mouth) to seize onto bugs like flies and beetles, hitching rides to extra favorable locales, explains Ekelenburg.

For a macro photographer, persistence will be the most invaluable instrument as a result of arthropods are sometimes unpredictable. And though persistence can’t be purchased, it may be discovered. Macro photographers should even be conscious to keep away from disturbing or harming an animal or its habitat. These, and different ideas, are outlined within the Ethics of Macro Photography.

Being affected person and conscious can yield candid pictures of invertebrates’ every day lives, comparable to these two Chrysolina leaf beetles caught within the act of mating. The out-of-focus male might be seen within the background.

Ekelenburg’s work has been featured extensively in exhibitions and digital media shops. Her macro images has been exhibited in historic settings like Soestdijk Palace within the Netherlands and State Museum Het Muiderslot, positioned in a well-known Dutch citadel.

She’s labored with optics big Canon, amongst different notable tech stalwarts, and shares her entomological enthusiasm through literature by a month-to-month column for the Dutch newspaper Tubantia Nieuws. Her work has additionally graced the quilt of Natuurfotografie Magazine in addition to the highest spot of an Affinity Photo Spotlight. 

Ekelenburg has additionally garnered greater than 750,000 followers on Instagram and has been chosen to function a jury member for quite a few images contests, together with the upcoming Close-Up Photographer of the Year 7 (CUPOTY) competitors.

Ekelenburg additionally makes use of her outreach to coach and encourage others. She hosts macro images workshops, on-line and in idyllic backyard settings, to share her ardour with attendees from around the globe, whereas offering editing tips on her web site. Most importantly, her work evokes awe and stewardship of a vibrant world by taking viewers on a journey stuffed with “wonder, fascination, and curiosity.”

More from Eklenburg might be discovered on her website and Instagram whereas prints are available on her web shop.

Image credit: Marit van Ekelenburg