NATURE lover and macro photographer Sally Moussa captures Bahrain’s creepy crawlies through her lens to showcase the enchanting world of insects and their often-overlooked beauty.

Macro photography depicts a subject as larger than it is in real life — an extreme close-up of something small like the intricate patterns and colours on the wings of a butterfly, the texture on the eyeball of a bug, the fuzz of a honey bee’s bottom…

The Egyptian expatriate started pursuing photography as a hobby in 2009. Initially, she took photos with her phone but in 2011, when she moved to Bahrain, she decided to buy a camera with a specialised lens to focus on macro photography of a wide range of subjects. 

“I had just graduated in pharmacology and my passion for microscopes led me to teach myself the art of photography,” the 37-year-old told GulfWeekly.

“I even joined some groups in Egypt where I lived at the time, which taught me a lot about the craft that has helped me to this day.

“I had to try many styles, including portraits, nature and wildlife photography until I found my passion for capturing the details of insects and their hidden world.

“Whenever I set out to click photos, I would find myself drawn to the outdoors and insects in particular. I followed my heart and in 2018 began specialising in insect macro photography. In 2020, I further specialised in microscopic insect macro photography, using ultra micro lenses, and built my indoor studio too,” the shutterbug, who continues to click portraits and wildlife on her travels, revealed.

Bahrain is home to more than 140 types of insects, including butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, flies, honey bees, wasps, dragonflies, damselflies, hoverflies, bugs, snails, spiders and more, that Sally works with. She often visits farms, gardens and apiaries in search of her muse, and her pet snails also inspire her from time to time. However, the monarch butterfly, owing to its colourful personality, stands out to the Hidd resident. Even her favourite photo from the thousands she might have clicked so far is of a monarch butterfly – her first time capturing the beauty of the winged creature.

While Sally captures live insects outdoors, she also makes videos of insects indoors using a microscope connected to her camera. Additionally, she photographs the occasional dead insect she might find in her garden under the microscope.

“I try to capture hidden details like the different colours and shapes of the scales on their wings and complex eyes,” Sally, who works and lives in Bahrain with her husband and children, said.

“The whole process is time-consuming and requires a lot of patience. I have to find the insect, then I need to film, which can be challenging if the insect keeps moving. I have to take a lot of shots, it’s what we photographers call image stacking. On an average, I click 100 to 300 shots and sometimes more for a single image. I then have to combine these to get the perfect photo, which is a tedious affair. Even if one of the shots isn’t accurate, it will affect the final result. However, my passion keeps pushing me,” the creative explained.

In November 2019, Sally exhibited her work for the first time at the Trierenberg Supercircuit Photography exhibition in Vienna. Further, her photos have been accepted in the advanced stages of the Hamdan International Photography Awards (HIPA) and Nikon Small World photography competition.

Not one to rest on her past laurels, Sally is open to future collaborations and aspires to host her first showcase in Bahrain sometime this year.

“I want to display this hidden beauty of the insect world to the local community through my photographs. I also want to publish my work internationally. I hope I can document my work in a scientific book approved by the competent authorities and convey this art to people so they can admire the beauty of these creatures.

“It’s also my dream to teach macro photography and pass on the knowledge that I have amassed over the years through trial and error to other aspiring photographers,” the pharmacist added.

For more details, follow @sal.photography__ on Instagram.