From time-to-time a book is published that stands out from amongst the competition and sets new standards in its field. I think of Stephen Dalton's Caught in Motion (Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1982) and The Art of Bird Photography by Arthur Morris (Amphoto Books,19980 by way of example.Robert Thompson's Close-up on Insects (Guild of Master Craftsman Publications, 2002) falls into this category. As far as I am aware, there is no other publication in the field that approaches the production standards, the wealth of real hard and practical information and the outstanding photographs used generously to illustrated the text. The book will remain the leading publication in its field for many years to come.
The chapter on equipment is finely balanced between providing relevant information and a general discourse on cameras, lenses and other equipment available on the market. Thompson is a medium format advocate and he makes out an eloquent case, corroborated by the quality of his photographs, for that system. This chapter should be read by anyone wishing to enter the field of insect and flora photography.
The chapters on Close-up Equipment, Ways to increase Magnification, Working with Flash are the best expositions on these very difficult areas that I have come across in the field of nature photography. They are full of down to earth practical advice and information derived from 20 or so years of dedication to perfection.
All aspects of this book can only be described in terms of superlatives. If nature and flora photography interests you, then you must have this book. Buy it.
