Lighting

Ring flashes are great for macro photography since they connect to the front of your lens which means your camera and lens will not be blocking any flash light. I’ve used ring flashes from the cheap $40 end to the expensive $989 price tag, and if you want the best results with the least amount of hastle $989 is not a bad price for a flash. The performance from the $40 cheap ring flashes is very bad and I'd highly suggest saving a little more and at least spending ~$171 on a Yongnuo 24EX flash or $99 on the Yongnuo YN-14EX-C ring flash.

My Suggestions

If you have a speedlite flash, I highly recommend the Neweer round collapsible soft box; the only drawback is that it is big and awkward to use, but the lighting is gorgeous, the bee pictured was captured using it on a speedlite with a 100mm macro lens

If you want the most control and optimal lighting for macro photography, a twin flash is the way to go. They give you two adjustable light sources in front of your lens. In my opinion these are a must have to make your life easy by achieving great lighting with ease. I have the $989 Canon MT-26EX flash and it is worth every dollar. I've used it so much that I even had to send it in for repairs (after 50,000 + fires)!

My Suggestions

If you don’t want to worry about lighting or failing equipment, get the Canon MT-26EX or the Canon MT-24EX

Here is a quick side by side comparison that shows the performance difference between two different diffusers. They also show the importance of a diffuser, without one, the shadows would be very hard, and the reflection in the eyes would be over exposed and there would be loss of detail in the eyes.

The same concept as using a beauty dish to light a person’s face during a portrait shoot can be applied at a much smaller level to macro photography. Look closely at the eyes, the image on the left was shot with a simple plastic diffuser.

These are very simple, easy to attach, and easy to use. They are not perfect though and as you can see in the picture, the light source is still visible in the eyes causing a small loss of detail in the eyes. This is still very visually appealing, and the rest of the lighting on the subject is soft.

Stock Canon Diffuser

You can also get creative and create your own diffuser to get even better results, and if you have a 3D printer, you can make really cool and sturdy diffusers! Here is a 3D printed diffuser on my camera; that I designed. It consists of two parts: risers to move the flash heads further away, and two cone diffusers attached to the lens.

I’ve seen people create similar diffusers using cardboard, milk jugs, styrofoam plates, etc. With a 3D printer, you can recreate similar diffusers so they can last much longer. You can download the stl files here if you are interested! I find 3D printing very fascinating, so don’t feel that you need one to make a diffuser! The diffuser is held on with a 58mm-67mm step up ring, and each diffuser has two holes that I tied on using some TPU printer filament. For these parts to last TPU is the best printing material to use.

The more you can diffuse the light, the softer the light will be, and the more detail you will be able to see in your photos. The design of the 3D printed diffuser is different from what I used to use; this version is much more versatile and durable. Take a look at this image taken with the 3D printed diffuser:

I am happy with how well the 3D printed diffuser works, notice nice catch lights in the eyes and there are no hot spots. The bee is fully lit, and the light is very soft.

3D Printed Diffuser