Wind. How to stop it. Q for Macro Shooters.

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StarTracker50

StarTracker50

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I know Steve has posted about how heat and shifting wind can blur pictures due to refraction in the path between lens and subject. My problem is actual motion of close-up subject. Here in the Midwest there's no such thing as still air. At the macro level this causes a constant blur in the image, and post processing "movement" fixing, in my opinion, just doesn't cut it. Waiting to shoot between gusts, doesn't work either, because by the time the subject has quit swaying, the next gust has arrived. All of the above further exacerbated by the fact that we're shooting macro, so the smallest motion is amplified. I should add, I'm using low ISO and a ring flash to enable a high f-stop (small aperture), but even that is not fast enough to freeze the action.

So, question for you macro shooters with absolutely crisp pictures of insects: How do you do it?

Do you build some kind of "dam" to block the wind?
Do you just not have wind?
Are you shooting at high ISO so you can have incredibly fast shutter speeds and no flash?

Any help, much appreciated!
 
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Back when I did a lot of flower closeups I carried a Plamp to gently secure flower stems against blowing in the wind. Basically one of these:


That can work for insects crawling up or perched on foliage.

But for a lot of insects I just shoot at higher shutter speeds and allowing ISO to get a bit higher.
 
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My approaches when it is windy -
  1. go deeper into the forest where the wind less gusty
  2. shoot subjects that are closer to the ground
  3. brace the offending branch with a stick, another branch, or anything that will dampen its movement (absent a Plamp). Just laying a stick across can slow the movement down to a manageable degree
  4. hold the leaf/branch with the subject in the left hand while shooting with the camera in the right hand (I can't do this but youtubers often suggest this)
  5. take a lot of shots
These aren't very good solutions, but they are all I have been able to come up with.
Good luck!
 
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I do a lot of macro photography and have a few tips. The first one is the wimberely plamp which is great for holding flowers and such. The second way is shielding with your body. The third is gently grabbing the blade of grass with the insect on it and holding it still. The fourth is using flash which helps freeze action. Hope that helps.
 
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My base ISO for macro (and most other photos) is 1000, that yields a higher shutter speed. I also carry several homemade clamps to hold vegetation. To make the clamps I soldered alligator clips to each end of pieces of 12 ga. copper wire of varying lengths. One clip has heat shrink tubing on its jaws to protect the stem of wildflowers. They're inexpensive and very light weight and work well, two or three can be used in different directions on one stem to hold the plant still in the wind.
 
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Woody Meristem said:
To make the claps I soldered alligator clips to each end of pieces of 12 ga. copper wire of varying lengths. One clip has heat shrink tubing on its jaws to protect the stem of wildflowers. They're inexpensive and very light weight and work well, two ot three can be used in different directions on one stem to hold the plant still in the wind.
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Excellent idea! I was going to create my own Plamp with a couple of these:


But Cu wire is even more cost effective and easily packable!

Thank you everyone else, for excellent ideas and suggestions! Keep them coming!
 
Flower stacks are just a pain. Not saying I have found the holy grail. Since the stack takes far less than a second I get all set up and wait for a calm spot. Sometimes you can hear the trees calm ahead of it reaching you. I shoot at a fast enough shutter speed where I don't need the self timer and just activate with the shutter button. Take more stacks than needed, there is a lucky factor/poisson distribution. In post use a software that let's you eliminate outliers and to alter the mask. I think all the good ones have this, where you basically paint the mask to choose which portion of a capture is revealed. Photoshop is good because you see the actual masks.

I don't know if you want to be damaging wildflowers just to get a shot. We wouldn't tie down a bird.

Still, some days are too windy.
 
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For macro subjects you may be OK with a larger aperture and less DOF. If I orient the camera so the film plane is parallel to the subject there is less DOF needed.

I have used the triangular reflectors that are smaller and have a handle at one corner. I find these easier to manage with one hand. There is also the option of putting a stake in the ground and clamping a windscreen/flag to it with small spring clamps.

I use this stand outdoor as it is stable on uneven ground. I can clamp a flag or diffuser to it and it also works well to support microphones to avoid handling noise.
 
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StarTracker50 said:
I know Steve has posted about how heat and shifting wind can blur pictures due to refraction in the path between lens and subject. My problem is actual motion of close-up subject. Here in the Midwest there's no such thing as still air. At the macro level this causes a constant blur in the image, and post processing "movement" fixing, in my opinion, just doesn't cut it. Waiting to shoot between gusts, doesn't work either, because by the time the subject has quit swaying, the next gust has arrived. All of the above further exacerbated by the fact that we're shooting macro, so the smallest motion is amplified. I should add, I'm using low ISO and a ring flash to enable a high f-stop (small aperture), but even that is not fast enough to freeze the action.

So, question for you macro shooters with absolutely crisp pictures of insects: How do you do it?

Do you build some kind of "dam" to block the wind?
Do you just not have wind?
Are you shooting at high ISO so you can have incredibly fast shutter speeds and no flash?

Any help, much appreciated!
Click to expand...
If you're using a flash and still getting motion blur then you're not using a high enough shutter speed to prevent ghosting. You might need to use a more powerful off camera flash with a diffuser so the flash duration is very short. ( I don't really care for ring lights.) A shutter speed at or near the flash sync would usually prevent ghosting especially if your ambient light exposure (shutter speed/aperture combo) produces an underexposed or even black background.
 
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aolander said:
If you're using a flash and still getting motion blur then you're not using a high enough shutter speed to prevent ghosting. You might need to use a more powerful off camera flash with a diffuser so the flash duration is very short. ( I don't really care for ring lights.) A shutter speed at or near the flash sync would usually prevent ghosting especially if your ambient light exposure (shutter speed/aperture combo) produces an underexposed or even black background.
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I haven't tried it yet but my new Westcott strobes are supposed to be usable to 1/4000 of a second. You lose light as the flash is longer than the exposure but with macro that shouldn't be a problem. Westcotts go 80-400 Watt Seconds.

The big change is supplying All The Light if you have been using daylight with flash for the key light.

I'll try to have a look later.
 
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What to do depends on what the problem is.

It sounds like the motion blur is making focusing difficult. In that case waiting for the wind to die down, finding a sheltered spot, or using a Plamp or equivalent would be the solution.

If you can get focus, but are still getting motion blur with the flash then either
1. your shutter speed is too slow allowing ambient light to blur the insect, or
2. the flash power is too high making the flash duration long enough to blur the insect motion. Open the aperture (and/or increase ISO) and reduce the flash power. The shorter flash duration at lower power might freeze the subject better.
 
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It's definitely an issue for me as well, also in the midwest. My primary solution is to start at sunrise and on a cool still morning. I can usually shoot from 6 to 9 a.m. without any major wind issues. I'm also shooting in tall brushy areas which block out some of the wind. I also try to find subjects that are on heavier stems that don't move as much in the wind.

I don't find some of the suggestions above to be that workable because the bugs are skittish in my area. I just shot some macros this morning and bugs were moving around stems. and to the bottom side of leaves to get away from me, and I shoot with a Sigma 180 mm macro, so I'm not as close as required by some shorter lenses. If I even touch the plant (to apply a clamp) and it moves slightly, the bug is gone. I've had them jump off before to get away. Then too don't cross them with your shadow as they often fly or move. I often have only enough patience from the bug for a few shots so could not imagine setting up a wind blind, which will also likely spook the bug and may not even be possible with crowded foilage.
 
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Hi Woody, Great topic to throw out to the forum. Steven H. has posted the best macro images that I can recall so his advice is solid. When I want to go on a “bug safari” in the woods or garden the wind is a pain in the 🫏! This is especially true when trying to get a tack sharp image of a spider in the middle of the web. Any “puff” of breeze moves the critter out of focus. Same with tiny butterflies on a flower that sways in the wind. It’s frustrating. Shorter macros can block out light when you’re tight on your subject and not using any flash. Anything, such as cardboard, clipped to a limb, or held by someone else, usually affects the natural lighting.

I shot this silver spotted skipper with an antique Nikkor AF Micro 200mm f/4D IF-ED. The longer focal length let me back off a bit, not scare the skipper, or block the sun. Think it was 1/500sec, f/8 ISO1250 w/16mp Df. Higher shutter speeds and frame rates do help your chances of getting some sharp images to pick from. Steve talks about this in one of his BIF videos. It might apply here also. Focus stacking is another skill all together that brings amazing detail via depth of field and layering images.
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I have to say I twinge and am tempted to say something when I see folks messing with flowers in the national parks, public preserves etc, where there is a chance to see actual wildflowers. I get that along trails is mostly invasives, but I'm not good enough to know. The app plantnet helps a bit. So yeah in your own backyard have at velcroing and clamping flowers but in public places I'd say follow the maxim to leave no trace so the next trail walker doesn't get a good look at a broken or crushed flower.
 
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StarTracker50 said:
I know Steve has posted about how heat and shifting wind can blur pictures due to refraction in the path between lens and subject. My problem is actual motion of close-up subject. Here in the Midwest there's no such thing as still air. At the macro level this causes a constant blur in the image, and post processing "movement" fixing, in my opinion, just doesn't cut it. Waiting to shoot between gusts, doesn't work either, because by the time the subject has quit swaying, the next gust has arrived. All of the above further exacerbated by the fact that we're shooting macro, so the smallest motion is amplified. I should add, I'm using low ISO and a ring flash to enable a high f-stop (small aperture), but even that is not fast enough to freeze the action.

So, question for you macro shooters with absolutely crisp pictures of insects: How do you do it?

Do you build some kind of "dam" to block the wind?
Do you just not have wind?
Are you shooting at high ISO so you can have incredibly fast shutter speeds and no flash?

Any help, much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Although I dont shoot bugs, ive spent many years as a product/commercial photog.
The simplest wat to "freeze" a close up or macro subject us with a small flash.
i'm not a fan of ringlights as they flatten the image.
but a small flash off camera on a hot shoe extension cable can give good results ... 🦘
 
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