Here's a quick tip: When shooting a subject close up, shoot it both ways: use a macro lens (or the close-up setting on your zoom lens), and then photograph the subject with a wide-angle lens.

Basically, you are taking a portrait and an environmental portrait - which is a good people photography tip, too.

That's I did when photographing this moon moth at Butterfly World in Coconut Creek, Florida – one of the stops on my Florida Photo Caravan and Digital Delray Workshops (info on my 2014 Workshops page).

I took the opening image for this post with my Canon 15mm lens (which has been replaced with the Canon 8-15mm lens). I took the picture below with my Canon 50mm Marco Lens, which has been replaced with the Canon 60mm Marco Lens.

The wide-angle shot is a natural light shot. For the macro shot, I used my Canon MR 14-EX Ringlight, which is an invaluable accessory for macro lens shooters.

If you like butterflies, I have two iPad apps for you! Flying Flowers is a wallpaper app that's free, and Butterfly Wonders, which includes close-up photography tips, only cost $0.99. Info on My Apps page.

Explore the light,
Rick