Epic Photographs From a Distance

September 13, 2025

Close-up photos evoke emotion, connection, and promote discovery of unseen and sometimes misunderstood subjects all around us. In the world of photography, in simple terms, extreme close-up photos can be accomplished with a macro lens, a telephoto lens, and – to a lesser extent – by cropping photos with editing programs and software. Macro photography lenses can allow for extreme magnification while shooting at very close distances from subjects (millimeters to few inches). Macro photography can reveal details about subjects that are in the microscopic realm. Macro photography, done well and ethically, produces incredible photographs and glimpses of subjects – often insects -- our human eyes could never see or imagine.

Much of the photography I enjoy, share, and sell, centers on tight or close-up shots of wildlife subjects and nature, including flowers and insects. However, all of my close-up photography work is done from a distance using telephoto lenses (560 – 1000mm equivalent) that allow for great magnification at long distances from subjects. My telephoto lenses require 12 feet minimum distance from subjects. Which means I'm always at least 12 feet away when shooting, and often 20 feet or more away. I also never use a flash on any wildlife or nature subjects - except – sometimes flowers. In addition, nearly all of my photos undergo some processing and cropping to bring out the best in my subjects.

I don’t own a macro lens, or use macro lenses, which doesn’t mean I won’t someday. As much as I appreciate a detailed close-up shot, I would need to know a lot more about macro photography before I would add to that to my portfolio. The more I see macro photographers out in the field – professionals, amateurs, or hobbyists -- the more committed I become to understanding the ethics of macro photography.

So, what have I seen in the field and what have I heard about?

Macro photographers using high powered flash – in any lighting condition – sunny or cloudy while shooting tiny little creatures inches away
Macro photographers carrying around little white cubes which – after trapping little creatures – they stick inside – maybe even glue down in order to get a “nice” photo on a clean background.
Macro photographers – with zero scientific training or knowledge -- belittling and dismissing anyone who raises concerns about the ethics of their practices – “It’s just a bug” … “It’s not bothering them.”
Macro photographers freezing subjects (think dragonflies) then posing them and gluing them on natural-looking materials while covered in what looks like beads of water. Many of these photos receive high like counts on social media.

With that said, there are also many ethically minded macro photographers who write thoughtful pieces on the ethics of their practice. There isn’t a national or international standard for ethical macro photography. Any good web search on “ethics of macro photography”, will produce some good summaries on ethical practices. Here’s links to two blogs on ethical macro photography - https://www.naturettl.com/photography-ethics-freezing-insects-for-macro/ ; https://irixlens.com/2023/01/11/the-ethics-of-macro-photography/ .

While macro photography isn’t my genre, I certainly understand its appeal. Bottom line – it’s always the case that no photo is ever more important than the welfare of any subject.

What are the ethics I adhere to in my wildlife and nature photography practice?

Maintaining a safe distance from subjects using long lenses, never altering habitats, no flash photography, never baiting animals, being honest in captions, understanding animal behavior to ensure my presence doesn't cause stress or injury – which includes being quiet, and practicing patience, observation, and a leave no trace philosophy.

Family Portrait

Carolyn Copper - Photographer

Copper Range LLC

Epic Photographs From a Distance

Carolyn Copper - Photographer

Copper Range LLC

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Epic Photographs From a Distance