Wide-angle macro photography is popular with wildlife photographers. The technique allows the photographer to document the animal in its natural habitat and show the full scene it lives in. The photographs have great impact and deliver a bug eye perspective using a wide angle lens. I generally use off-camera flash with a custom soft box to make these photographs. Lately, I have been testing a variety of on-camera flashes to achieve a different perspective. One of the biggest challenges is lighting the subject evenly with soft diffused lighting.
The most popular lenses used for wide angle macro photography ( WAM )
- Tokina fisheye 10-17mm f3.5-4.5
- Nikon fisheye 10.5mm f2.8
- Sigma fisheye 15mm f2.8 E
- Venus Laowa 15mm f4 – (Manual focus only)
The Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye is my favorite lens in my bag and has been my go-to lens for the project “Crabs with Beach Trash Homes”
Tokina fisheye lens
Below are some of my favorite wide-angle macro images photographed in Okinawa-Japan.
Fighting pose – Preying mantis, IPhone 6s © Shawn Miller
Hermit crabs of Okinawa © Shawn Miller
Geograpsus grayi with eggs © Shawn Miller
Ishikawa’s Frog – The most beautiful frog in Japan © Shawn Miller
Horn-eyed ghost crab at sunset -Nikon 10.5mm © Shawn Miller
Herping in the yanbaru forest © Shawn Miller
Crabs with trash homes – Sesoko © Shawn Miller
Golden habu on a fence © Shawn Miller
Ghost crab – Nagahama beach © Shawn Miller
Pryer’s keelback feeding on a white jawed frog © Shawn Miller
Baby loggerhead leaving the nest © Shawn Miller
Invasive insects – Coconut rhinoceros beetle © Shawn Miller
Blue rock-thrush with wings spread © Shawn Miller
Princess habu -Yanbaru © Shawn Miller
Kuroiwa’s ground gecko crossing the road © Shawn Miller
Okinawan green tree frog © Shawn Miller
Giant stag Beetle (Dorcus titanus) -Ie Island © Shawn Miller
Okinawa tip-nosed frog ( Rana narina ) © Shawn Miller
Hermit crab at sunset © Shawn Miller
Land crab crossing the road at night © Shawn Miller
Hermit crabs with beach trash homes © Shawn Miller
On the move- Black-breasted leaf turtle © Shawn Miller
Asian long-horned beetle © Shawn Miller
Crabs with trash homes-Yomitan © Shawn Miller
Road dweller- Namie’s frog- Stella 2000 © Shawn Miller
Praying mantis @Hedo Point
zanpa lighthouse and hermit crabs
If you would like to learn more about this technique I recommend Wide-Angle Macro: The Essential Guide by Clay Bolt and Paul Harcourt Davies https://www.e-junkie.com/shop/product/482943.php