A couple of months ago we published a collection of natural light portraits that people really loved.
There’s something about “this photo was taken without expensive (or even cheap) lighting equipment” that really appeals to those of us who have never tried their hand at artificial light—seeing professional results captured without a flash in sight opens up a world of possibilities and excites us.
The collection below is a great follow up to that first collection, except instead of natural light portraits of humans, this one features natural light portraits of insects.
Macro photography is often seen as one of the more expensive and time-intensive genres of photography, but it doesn’t have to be.
We’ve shown before how reverse lensing can provide amazing results on the cheap; and today, we’ll use the work of 500px-er Can Tunçer to show you that macro photography doesn’t necessarily require that you tote a special lighting setup with you.
Can recently began uploading a series of images he calls “Backlight of Nature” and the series consists of exactly what you’d expect: natural light (often backlit) images of insects.
They’re not quite as close up as some of his photos we featured previously here on 500px ISO, but the soft natural light look lends drama that more garishly lit standard macro shots sometimes lack.
“I love the light when the sun goes down,” he told us over email. “The light is softer, more beautiful, and dramatic; and many insects a preparing to sleep, so they’re very calm.”
“These kinds of pictures are actually much easier for me to capture than my other shots,” he continued. “Since I don’t use any artificial light/lighting equipment, I can just pick up my DSLR and go to the field.”
Here’s a look at some of our favorite images from his “Backlight of Nature” collection:
To see more of Can’s work, follow him on 500px. And if that’s not enough (fine… whatever… we won’t cry about it… much) you can also find him on his website, Twitter, Instagram, and NatGeo Your Shot.
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