Singaporean photographer
The macro world under the lens
Singapore is located in the tropics, although it has developed into a very modern city, but there are still many natural ecological parks, in the tropical rainforest conservation, but also a lot of efforts, so many insects and wildlife to survive, some of them are still increasing, but also more suitable for insect macro photography. Of course, before the epidemic, I often crossed the border with my friends to shoot in the national park of Johor in Malaysia, which is a primeval forest, so the subject matter that can be photographed will be more colorful.
The compound eye of the Celestial Bull is almost the most obvious and easiest to photograph clearly in the insect world, and this does not make you think of the masked superman
Where do the protagonists in my shots live?
When it comes to tropical rainforests, the average person will think of poisonous snakes and beasts, in fact, there is no optimism in imagination, due to many artificial reasons, many animals have become extinct or are facing extinction. Singapore, for example, was once an active area of Malaysian tigers and posed a great threat to people engaged in gardening and farming in the early years, but with the last tiger hunted in 1930, the Malay tiger has completely disappeared in Singapore. According to statistics, the number of the only remaining cats and leopards (also known as stone tigers) in singapore's rainforest is also more than 20, and it is facing extinction. Other animals such as macaques, wild boars, rat deer, squirrels, etc. are the most common, and if you are lucky, you will encounter pangolins, civets, shrews, sambar deer and other wild animals. There are also many types of snakes, including various colors, poisonous and non-venomous, land-dwelling arboreals and so on.
The venomous mangrove Pit Viper, with its eerie appearance, is chilling to watch, like a messenger from hell
I have encountered the larger reticulated python, which is about 12 centimeters in diameter, and I have also encountered the king cobra, which is about eight or nine centimeters in diameter, and when I encounter this kind of snake, I avoid it from afar. Perhaps Singapore's land area is too small, more or less limited to people's space for activities, many natural ecological parks are Singaporeans love to do activities, people like to go there to ride, hike and so on. In this way, the chances of people encountering wild animals increased, and occasionally there was news of wild boar injuries or someone being bitten by a poisonous snake, but fortunately there were no fatal incidents. When it comes to wildlife conservation, I have to say Sungai Buloh Wetland Park, which is a popular wild crocodile viewing spot in Singapore. When encountering aggressive wildlife in a natural ecological park or forest, it is advisable to avoid it as much as possible if it is at a distance, and if it is a close encounter, be sure to keep calm and then leave slowly without frightening it. If you encounter a more docile animal, you can watch quietly from a safe distance.
Paraplectana tsushimensis mimics spiders that become ladybugs in order to beware of predators. For birds, ladybugs smell bad and are unpalatable
What equipment do I use to shoot?
Regarding photographic equipment, I used to shoot with Nikon D750 and 105mm macro lenses, and also used the Old Frog 100mm lens, but in recent years I have switched to fuji X-T3 and Laowa 65mm macro lenses in pursuit of lightness. In low-light environments, I use flash to fill in the light and improve the effect of shooting. When shooting, I will take two Merko MK320 small lightning bolts, one is placed on the top of the camera hot boots, and the other is used to shoot off-flash (off-camera flashing) when necessary to achieve the effect of backlit shooting, which is the so-called "flying lights". The light from the flash is a little hard, the effect of the photo is not ideal, I will choose a diffuser, the light becomes softer, so that the photo is taken more naturally. In addition, I am used to shooting macro with a handheld camera, and many people say that a tripod is a must for shooting macro, but in fact, it is just a personal habit. A bunch of photographic equipment is already very heavy, and it is too difficult to carry a tripod in the mountains. Every time you shoot, you usually have to walk in the mountains for several hours, and it is certainly not possible without a certain amount of physical fitness.
Kendall's Rock Gecko, a deep forest gecko, wanted to escape my shot, so I went around to the other end and shot it again, catching the cute expression
How to choose the macro shooting time?
I prefer to be active at night than shooting during the day, because without the scorching sun, I feel cooler and more relaxed. When entering the mountains to shoot, remember to put safety first, from long-sleeved clothing and boots to anti-mosquito sprays, some people will also carry scissors, knives and first aid kits in case of emergency. Night is a time when many nocturnal insects, spiders and other active times, and the shooting themes in this period are relatively rich. Spider molting and insect feathering are also unique at night, and there are some insects that are very active during the day, and it is easier to take the photos you want at night while they are resting. Every weekend evening, I usually travel with three or five friends, and from eight or nine o'clock in the evening until two or three o'clock in the morning. Sometimes it rains in the sky, and as long as the rain is not strong, we are not willing to give up this rare weekly shooting activity. Recently, however, our activities have also changed with the severity of the epidemic in Singapore, because the government's defensive measures will change at any time, and we can only move in groups, sometimes limiting two people per group, and when the epidemic is not serious, we can work in groups of five.
What is my macro shooting experience?
I love playing stacking and flying lights. General photographic lenses have the limitation of depth of field, the depth of field of macro lenses is too shallow, not enough to cover the depth of the entire shooting object stereoscopic, in order to make up for this shortcoming, I will shoot several shots at different depths of field of the lens, and then stack them in the later stage, so that the clear range of the photo will be wider, and the details of the shooting object will be clearer. Generally, people who take portraits will use off-flash (commonly known as flying lights), perhaps many photographers have not thought that this kind of play can also be used for macro shooting, with off-flash to hit the light from different angles, will create a very charming light and shadow effect. When shooting, I usually hold the camera in my right hand and the off-flash in my left hand, and the flash illuminates the posture of a semi-translucent insect or spider to create a crystal clear beauty. In some cases you can even tie the sparkle to a branch and place it on a trunk, stone or ground to achieve the light you want. At night, I often encounter insects or spiders that are feathering or molting, which is also my favorite subject. Once I was filming a spider that was molting, and when the shell was halfway back, half of the spider's feet were still in its translucent shell, which reminded me of the scene in the movie where the beautiful woman was taking off her stockings. Macro photography is not limited to small animals of insects and spiders, some snakes and frog amphibians, plant flowers and even fungi, which are also good subjects for shooting. The more photogenic snakes are thin, slender, graceful green snakes; the beautiful, slow-moving Walsh pit viper, which is actually a "poisonous beauty"; and the swamp viper that looks sinister, like a messenger from hell, and will take your life at any time. Because many snakes are poisonous, so when photographing snakes, first of all, safety is the first, to maintain a certain distance, do not be injured or even killed for a few beautiful photos.
At night, the terrestrial ribbon worm quietly crawled close to the jumping spider that was sleeping in the nest, secreting mucus, wrapping the jumping spider into its rich supper
Shooting macro is like opening a third eye for yourself and seeing the world of tiny insects. I had never thought that a spider that would scare girls to scream could become delicate and feminine after macro lens magnification, and nasty little flies would become charming and beautiful. Accumulated years of shooting experience, I have seen many rare animals and insects, so that my knowledge of ecology has increased a lot. I gradually also realized that many insects were becoming fewer and even disappearing. If we do not care for the environment and protect the ecology, it will be difficult for future generations to have the opportunity to see them.
Telamonia dimidiata is a species of jumping spider found in India, Tibet, Singapore and Southeast Asia
Appreciation of macro photography
The grasshopper, which has just shed its shell, takes on a translucent purple color before the body hardens
The Huntsman Spider uses flash to reverse the crab spider in its molting shell, and its translucent shell and body drive present a different kind of beauty
In the battle of the two poisons, it seems that the victory and defeat have been divided
Wagler's Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) Backlit silhouette of the Walter viper
Wen | Figure Feng Suoqiang
For more highlights, stay tuned to the January-February 2022 magazine