STANDARDS

CCSS: 6.EE.A.2.C, 7.G.B.6, MP5

TEKS: 6.10A

Standards

Insects Up Close

Nicky Bay takes zoomed-in photos of tiny creatures.

Kelvin DAO/Courtesy Nicky Bay

Bay uses a modified camera that has two flashes.

Courtesy of Nicky Bay

Late at night, Nicky Bay was walking through a rainforest in his home country of Singapore, in Southeast Asia. All of a sudden, he stumbled upon a fallen tree. On the bark of the tree, Bay spotted several orange-and-black-striped pill-shaped critters. He pulled out his camera, equipped with special lenses and flashes, to snap an up-close photo of them.

Bay is a macro photographer. He takes up-close photos of tiny critters like insects and spiders. In his photos, Bay brings their minuscule worlds into focus, hoping to inspire people to care for the small species. “Photographing small animals has given me a deeper appreciation for them,” he says. “Every living thing has a role in nature.”

Nicky Bay lives in the Southeast Asian country of Singapore. Late one night, he was walking through the rainforest. He came across a fallen tree. He spotted some interesting bugs on it. They were oval-shaped with orange and black stripes. Bay pulled out his camera. It has special lenses and flashes. Click! He snapped an up-close photo of the insects.

Bay is a macro photographer. That means he takes up-close photos of tiny critters like insects and spiders. His photos bring miniature worlds into focus. Bay hopes to inspire people to care for small creatures. “Photographing small animals has given me a deeper appreciation for them,” he says. “Every living thing has a role in nature.”

Insects, Insects, Everywhere
Watch a video about the behavior and habitat of various insects.

Usually, Bay just steps outside to find subjects. But when looking for specific animals, he does a lot of research. Bay learns about the species’ size and shape, where it lives, whether it builds webs or other structures, and more.

Over the years, Bay has become an expert in macro photography. He now teaches other people how to take stunning photos of small creatures. It’s important to not harm the animal while taking a photo, he says. That means keeping your distance, avoiding touching or disturbing the animal, and keeping its habitat intact.

Usually, Bay just steps outside to find interesting bugs. But sometimes he’s looking for a specific animal. In that case, he does a lot of research. Bay learns about the animal’s size and shape. He looks up where it lives. He learns whether it builds webs or other structures. That helps him find exactly what he’s looking for.

Bay has become an expert in macro photography. He now teaches other people how to take photos of small creatures. It’s important not to harm the animal while taking a photo, he says. That means keeping your distance and not touching it. You should also be careful not to disturb its home.

Photos of tiny animals are also important for science. That orange-and-black-striped bug Bay found? It was a species that scientists had never seen before! He named the new species the Singapore Tiger. “There’s a lot that scientists don’t know about invertebrates,” Bay says. “I love that my photos have helped them identify new species!”

Macro photography isn’t just for professionals. Anyone can try it. All you need is a smartphone and curiosity. “Collect photos of all the different tiny creatures right under your nose. Treat it like collecting Pokémon!” Bay says.

Photos of tiny animals are important for science. That orange-and-black bug Bay found? It was a species that scientists had never seen before! He named it the Singapore Tiger. “There’s a lot that scientists don’t know about [insects],” Bay says. “I love that my photos have helped them identify new species!”

Macro photography isn’t just for experts. Anyone can try it. All you need is a smartphone and some curiosity. “Collect photos of all the different tiny creatures right under your nose. Treat it like collecting Pokémon!” says Bay. 

Use the f-number formula to see how Nicky Bay takes pictures of tiny critters. Round answers to the nearest hundredth when necessary. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Use the f-number formula to see how Nicky Bay takes pictures of tiny critters. Round answers to the nearest hundredth when necessary. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

A. To photograph tiny lantern bugs, Bay often uses a lens with a focal length of 100 mm. If he sets the f-number to 16, how wide will the aperture open?

A. To photograph tiny lantern bugs, Bay often uses a lens with a focal length of 100 mm. If he sets the f-number to 16, how wide will the aperture open?

B. How wide will the aperture open if he sets the f-number to 8?

B. How wide will the aperture open if he sets the f-number to 8?

C. Isopods are tiny crustaceans that live in dark jungles. Bay needs to let a lot of light into the camera to photograph them. Should he use the f-number setting in Part A or Part B? Explain your reasoning.

C. Isopods are tiny crustaceans that live in dark jungles. Bay needs to let a lot of light into the camera to photograph them. Should he use the f-number setting in Part A or Part B? Explain your reasoning.

Lenses with long focal lengths make faraway subjects appear closer. Bay uses a super-zoom lens to photograph flying insects like butterflies. If he sets the f-number to 8, the aperture opens 25 mm wide. What is the focal length of his super-zoom lens?

Lenses with long focal lengths make faraway subjects appear closer. Bay uses a super-zoom lens to photograph flying insects like butterflies. If he sets the f-number to 8, the aperture opens 25 mm wide. What is the focal length of his super-zoom lens?

Narrow apertures make subjects in both the foreground and background appear focused. To photograph a large huntsman spider, Bay might use a 100-mm lens with the aperture open only 9.1 mm wide. Which f-number setting does he need to achieve this?

Narrow apertures make subjects in both the foreground and background appear focused. To photograph a large huntsman spider, Bay might use a 100-mm lens with the aperture open only 9.1 mm wide. Which f-number setting does he need to achieve this?

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