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Home / Insects / Moths / Trapping and photography 10

Two different light traps are shown here. In case it's of interest, I've added a few pointers about photographing moths as this is an important aid to identification - for me at least (not that I'm a great photographer but I have been doing it for several years):/font> •Use a camera with a good super-macro facility. I use the Nikon Coolpix 4500, but I guess that is obsolete now. •Take enough photos so that you can reject several •I suggest taking a 'record' photo of the moth on the egg tray or in a pot before you start doing anything 'fancy' •Best results are usually obtained in daylight but not direct sunlight. •If you photograph moths indoors you have more chance of recapturing the ones that escape - and they will! •Try and work before the day warms up too much - in summer at least. •If you have to use flash, use some sort of diffuser or the colours will burn out. •My method is to put some leaves or a piece of bark in a small tray and then invert the pot over the tray and hope that the moth will settle on the leaves. (see pic) If not, you may have to tap the pot a few times until it settles in a good position. If it's a moth I am particularly interested in, I sometimes carry the tray outdoors (with the moth covered by the pot) and take some additional shots in the tray (better light). I can then also try and get the moth to pose on a twig. Sometimes the moth flies away and lands in a pleasing position of its own accord. •Look at other people's photos for inspiration on different angles and backgrounds. If the photo is for ID purposes it can be a good idea to take shots from several angles. If you want something "artistic" or unusual, try front-on views, side-on views, head only shots, etc. Even larvae can produce excellent subjects - especially the more colourful or 'misshapen' ones. •If you need to photo the hindwing, make sure the moth is cool and well-settled and then try gently teasing back one of the upper wings with a fine artist's brush. Often the moth just jumps but occasionally it works brilliantly (see example). •With unidentified micros, that can be very hard to recapture, it is a toss-up as to whether to risk taking a photo or save them for dissection. •Personally, I never put them in the fridge - I don't find it to be necessary. •If moths escape indoors, you can often recapture them after dark on a window as they try to make a get-away. •It's worth thinking about how you want to organise your photos. I've taken about 10,000 with my present camera and it's important to be able to access the ones you want without a huge search. I keep the original no. set by the camera even when I rename them. Then, if I do an edit, I keep the no and add a suffix (usually denoting the size of the photo). I copy the pix into folders according to date for submission to my county recorder. I also copy into a separate folder any that are for my website. It sounds a bit complicated but it works for me.
  • carnage - Kenneth Noble 1027 visits carnage - Kenneth Noble
  • Egg tray - Kenneth Noble 1493 visits Egg tray - Kenneth Noble
  • Egg tray in July - Kenneth Noble 1544 visits Egg tray in July - Kenneth Noble
  • Moth trap - Kenneth Noble 1656 visits Moth trap - Kenneth Noble
  • Moth trap in action - Kenneth Noble 1356 visits Moth trap in action - Kenneth Noble
  • moths for photographing - Kenneth Noble 1155 visits moths for photographing - Kenneth Noble
  • Robinson moth trap - Kenneth Noble 1032 visits Robinson moth trap - Kenneth Noble
  • settling drinker - Kenneth Noble 809 visits settling drinker - Kenneth Noble
  • the moon - Kenneth Noble 601 visits the moon - Kenneth Noble
  • Viewing the hindwing of a (live) common wainscot (Mythimna pallens) Kenneth Noble 853 visits Viewing the hindwing of a (live) common wainscot (Mythimna pallens) Kenneth Noble