Sometimes it's hard to get a good macro shot while you are on the trail. There are a lot of factors to consider. One is the gear needed to get a good shot. The proper lens, a good flash, and we won’t get into the camera because there are so many options out there. We will discuss that in another post later. The lighting is extremely important and let's not forget the subject. Flowers and other organic objects don’t tend to move much. But, I like taking pictures of insects and other small creatures who tend to move around. I will go into how you keep the insects still while you take your pictures in a later post. I found a simple, very light, and cheap item to use as a background. You can also eat your dinner off of it….
It's a simple plain white paper plate. Yes, many of them are out there but not all are equal. The one I found that works best was at Albertsons. It's 10 inches in diameter, plain white, (no patterns), and has a semi-gloss coating. It's perfect to place your subject on or to hold up behind the item while you take your picture. On a sunny day, you don’t even need a flash.
I also bring with me small plastic containers to either contain the insects to transport to a better location with better light or a clearer spot, but usually I use them to "pause" the insects by placing the container over them giving me time to set up my camera or to let them calm down a little.