Via Flickr:
Reverse lens macro of a Malaysian weaver ant on an asphalt road surface
Macro shots of the red weaver ant (oecophylla smaragdina) is relatively easy because when they feel threatened, they stay still, lift up their abdomens and open up their pincers. This is part of their effort to look bigger and more threatening, and to scare off predators or competitors.
The only thing I had to worry about was the potential of a swarm of these ants coming to attack me. The red weaver ants bite strongly into your skin or clothes and almost never let go, even if it kills them. So strong are their bites, sometimes when you try to remove them by pulling their bodies, their heads might come off but still attached to your skin.
For this macro shot I did not use a macro lens, but instead I reversed an 18-55mm f/3.5 - 5.6 lens to achieve the magnification and shallow depth of field.
