Dara Ojo picked up macro insect photography as a way to get through lockdown in China. Six years later, the Nigerian-born photographer has turned that hobby into a 290-page book of insect and spider portraits.
Ojo has photographed insects in China, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico and Nigeria. His new book, Tiny Titans: The Silent Keepers of Our Ecosystem, gathers that work. Rocky Mountain Books publishes it at $45.
Ojo’s website describes the book differently. It lists the title as Tiny Titans: A Journey into the Hidden World of Insects and Spiders and calls it a forthcoming title open for preorder. The two accounts disagree on the title and release status, and the publisher’s listing should be checked before ordering.
Patience as the main tool in macro insect photography
Ojo says his insect photography involves only living subjects in their natural settings. He does not harm, move or stage them. He records their behavior as it happens.
“Patience is probably the most important part of my approach,” Ojo says. “At high magnifications, the smallest movements can completely change a photograph. A slight breeze, a moving leaf, or an insect turning its head can mean starting all over again.”
Ojo’s patience with tiny subjects has a parallel in ocean photography, where Aron Sanchez-Baranda’s Photographs of Unseen Marine Life rewards viewers who slow down to notice creatures they rarely see.
He works early in the morning, when temperatures are cooler and insects move less. He also shoots at night, when a different set of animals becomes active.
The technical side of macro insect photography is equally demanding. At extreme magnification, depth of field becomes very thin. Ojo uses focus stacking, which combines several shots taken at different focal points into one sharp image. “I may need to capture multiple images at different focal points and combine them into a single photograph,” he explains.
A praying mantis from Lagos
The book’s front cover features a praying mantis, one of the best-known subjects in macro insect photography. Ojo photographed it at Lufasi Nature Park in Lagos, the city where he grew up.
Ojo recalls the encounter fondly. Mantises, he says, combine a striking appearance with expressive movement. They also seem to study the photographer as closely as the photographer studies them. “It was one of those genuinely fun photographic experiences,” he says.
Beauty in a fungal infection
Another image shows a leafhopper overtaken by a fungus. Ojo says that at first glance the subject looks strange or even unsettling. The biology behind it, he argues, is remarkable.
Certain fungi infect arthropods, the group that includes insects and spiders. Eventually, the fungi produce structures that emerge from the host’s body. These structures help the fungus reproduce and spread. “Photographing something like this is particularly special because you’re documenting a biological interaction that many people will never encounter firsthand,” Ojo says.
For more on fungi as subjects, see Francesca Gavin on Mushrooms in Art and Design, which looks at how the fungal world appears in creative work.
A spider carrying her young
Ojo says spiders are among the creatures people misunderstand most. His photograph of a wolf spider carrying her young is meant to challenge that reaction.
Female wolf spiders carry their spiderlings on their backs after the young hatch from the egg sac. “Many people associate spiders with fear, but here is a mother carrying and protecting her young,” Ojo says.
Why the small things matter
Ojo describes his macro insect photography as conservation communication. On his website, he writes that arthropods pollinate crops, recycle nutrients, build healthy soils, regulate pests and form the base of many food webs. Many of these animals are feared or ignored, which is why he uses photography to draw attention to them.
His aim is simple. Images that first provoke fear can, with a closer look, prompt curiosity, admiration and even empathy. “Conservation begins with connection,” Ojo writes. People tend to protect what they understand, and a 290-page book of close-up portraits gives readers a reason to look.
More of Ojo’s work appears on his Instagram.
H/T petapixel.com
Frequently asked questions
Does Dara Ojo harm or stage the insects he photographs?
No. Ojo says his insect photography involves only living subjects in their natural settings, and he does not harm, move, or stage them. He records their behavior as it happens.
How does Ojo keep macro insect photos sharp at high magnification?
Ojo uses focus stacking, which combines several shots taken at different focal points into one sharp image. This is needed because depth of field becomes very thin at extreme magnification.
Where was the praying mantis on the book cover photographed?
Ojo photographed the praying mantis at Lufasi Nature Park in Lagos, the city where he grew up. The mantis appears on the front cover of his book.
How much does the Tiny Titans book cost?
Rocky Mountain Books publishes Tiny Titans: The Silent Keepers of Our Ecosystem at $45. The article notes that Ojo’s website describes the book differently, so the publisher’s listing should be checked before ordering.
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