Nikon D-90 Digital SLR with a 60mm Micro Nikkor AF-S F/2.8G ED Macro Lens & Phoenix Ring Flash This is the lens and flash of choice for most of my studio macro images of plants, spiders and insects. Depending on the reflective surface of the subject, I may use the Nikon SB 400 or SB 600 flash and/or photoflood lights. The 105mm macro and other flash units are shown below.

Ants are one of the most difficult subjects for macrophotography. They are very small and are constantly moving. When placed in a refrigerator to slow them down, they assume unnatural positions. Pinned or preserved specimens in alcohol may be suitable for strictly morphological or anatomical images, but generally do not make natural photogenic subjects. Photographing live specimens can be done, but it is quite challenging. I have fairly good results placing the live ant in a white Corelle dish or in a transparent bowl on a light box. When the ant settles down I simply photograph it while it is running around the sides or rim of the dish. Of course, I must constantly encourage it to stay in the dish with my left hand. I use a Nikon D-90 SLR with a good macro lens and ring flash or SB-400 flash with diffuser. With F-22 and 1/200 I get good depth of field and stop action results. This is particularly true when the ant pauses. This requires patience and careful ant tracking, and numerous shots. FP mode with higher shutter speeds can also be used, depending on the camera model (D-90 and above). Reflections on the glass dish (see left image) can be removed with Photoshop. In the following images there is very little reflection on the glass bowl. The circular ring flash reflections can be removed with photoshop, or a different flash with diffuser can be used. The bottom line here is obtaining sharp images with good depth of field. In the lower image, the three minute simple eyes (ocelli) on the top of head plus the antennal and tarsal segments are all in sharp focus. [Ocelli pronunciation: oh-CELL-eye.] There are more elaborate macro-systems for ants; however, some are rather cumbersome, especially when carried into the field.

During my teaching career of 40 years I have taken countless thousands of images using various cameras with close-up (macro) lenses, from 35mm film cameras using Kodachrome and Ektachrome to modern digital SLRs. I have shared these images in my lecture presentations at Palomar College and elsewhere, using carousel color transparency projectors and modern digital projectors. In fact, many of these copyrighted images are on my Wayne's Word website. Although my on-line images are only 72 dpi, they project very well on large classroom screens with high quality LCD projectors. Many of my images have also been published in magazines, technical journals and textbooks.

Although my first 35mm cameras were Canon and Tower (Sears), I have used Nikon & Sony cameras during most of my career. I have pushed my introductory Nikon SLRs and macro lenses to the limit, and acheived some fairly good images of ants. However, in my opinion, I have never quite acheived the quality of Alex Wild's ant images using Canon SLRs and his fabulous Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens. Unfortunately, this lens will not work with a Nikon body. Another major factor in macrophotography is diffuse lighting with an effective external flash system. Of course, years of experience with ant photography is invaluable! In conclusion, my Nikon setup is relatively inexpensive and very portable for field work, especially long, arduous hikes over rough terrain.

As a biologist who has spent his entire career keying out plants and insects, I have a definite opinion on what factors constitute a good macro image of an ant. It seems to me that the image should clearly show as much detail (taxonomic features) as possible. An expert should be able to identify or at least narrow down the possible species by viewing an image. Here are a few of my criteria: (1) Live ants make better subjects, so the image must be taken with electronic flash to stop motion. I have had good results with 1/200 sec, although faster shutter speeds are preferable. I simply track the ants in a white dish and take multiple images in burst mode. They often pause, so 1/200 works fine if you are patient. (2) A good diffuser must be used to reduce or eliminate hot spots produced by the flash. Some reflection is acceptable on shiny surfaces, but too many hot spots eliminate critical details of the ant. I have good results with a simple, inexpensive Opteka diffuser that fits over my Nikon SB-400 external flash. These items are small and easy to carry in a camera bag. (3) Sharp focusing with a sufficient f-stop setting. I prefer f-22, although some photographers recommend lower f-stops because of diffraction. To me, it is more important to have a higher depth of field in order to get antennal segments and tarsal segments in focus. I am sure that photographers have different opinions on this. In the following image you can count the 12 antennal segments including scape and 3-segmented club. These factors alone separate Pheidole from Aphaenogaster.

The bottom line here is that you need a camera with you at all times, even during exercise walks when you don't want to carry a lot of photographic equipment. I have seen some interesting ant shots in the field that simply can't be duplicated in the laboratory. The following images were taken with a Sony DSC T9 mini camera that I carry on my belt. The T-cameras have excellent macro capabilites with Carl Ziess lenses and built-in flash.

Without Vivitar 2x Doubler 12 June 2011: 3 days before full moon.

With Vivitar 2x Doubler 13 June 2011: 2 days before full moon.