Dara the Explorer And His Fantastic Bugs

Dara The Explorer

It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's Dara Ojo with a macro lens, capturing the hidden beauty of the tiny, fuzzy, and crawly, one magnificent shot at a time.

Dara's journey with photography began at Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, with a simple Sony point-and-shoot. A little camera shy, he became the designated cameraman among his friends, bending and twisting for the perfect angle. What started as doing favours soon became a genuine hobby, encouraged by their praise.

That passion went quiet after his graduation in 2011, until COVID-19 hit. Like many others rediscovering hobbies during lockdown, Dara picked up his camera again in 2020.

Quarantined in China, he thought, "Why not learn how to use a camera in manual mode to own my creative direction?" And that he did. YouTube tutorials became his classroom, and soon, he upgraded to a Nikon camera.

Then came the big question: what would he shoot?

"I knew I wasn't going to take photos of people because I felt a lot of people did that already. I wanted something different that could set me apart," Dara recalled.

He experimented with plants and birds, even investing in a longer lens to capture his feathered subjects. However, with limited access to new locations during lockdown, his options quickly ran out. A fellow photographer suggested macro photography, and with that, a new world opened up.

"I wanted something more challenging, and that was how I started Macro photography," Dara explains.

Birds may be heavily limited by location, but insects aren’t. They were abundant, fascinating, and full of untold stories. Studying their behaviour and mastering his lens wasn't easy, but it deepened his respect for these creatures. Through patience and persistence, Dara became a macro photographer and a conservation storyteller, revealing the wonder of the smallest lives around us.

Bugs Buddy

What's a typical shoot day like with Dara Ojo?

It starts long before he even picks up his camera. Each shoot begins with hours of research, studying his muse of the day, learning its behaviors, habitats, and even which backdrop color will make its features pop.

Once the prep work is done, Dara is up at dawn, gear in hand, chasing critters that may or may not show up. Heavy-eyed but determined, he pushes through bee and wasp stings, mosquito bites, and the occasional run-in with swarming termites, sometimes only to return empty-handed.

"The hardest part is actually finding them," Dara admits. "And even when you do, you just have to be lucky they don't run or fly away."

On the good days, when he does find the insect he's looking for, patience takes over. He can spend hours simply sitting with it, waiting for it to feel safe. His years of studying behavior help him read the subtle cues; when a bug is calm, when it's about to take off.

Then comes the artistry. A storyteller at heart, Dara imagines the posture or moment that will tell the best story and waits for it. Sometimes, that means heading out at 3 or 4 a.m.

"At those hours, insects are calmer," he explains. "Also, you might find them covered in dew, which makes them more beautiful because the insects look like they've got sparkles on their eyes and bodies, making them appear 10 times better than they normally look."

So why go through all this trouble for bugs? His answer is simple: they matter. Having studied and worked across the UK, China, and Canada, Dara's travels shaped his love for nature. But his mission isn't just personal.

"We have more insects than humans in the world, and they form a fundamental part of our ecosystem because they're at the bottom of the food chain. So many things depend on them, including us," he says, "Everybody talks about planting more trees, which is fantastic—cleaning our ocean, which is wonderful. Saving the bears and rhinos. But nobody talks about hard workers at the bottom of the food chain, who are very important to the survival of the other things we're trying to protect."

Through his photography, Dara wants people to see insects differently. To see their beauty. To build empathy. Because empathy leads to compassion, and compassion leads to protection.

"We need insects for many things, from pollinating to cleaning up our ecosystem to helping with our water supply. Imagine a very polluted Earth because the insects aren't there anymore. We will not have enough oxygen. And the trees depend on the insects for pollination to grow."

And slowly, his work is making a difference. "I've had people tell me, 'Before, I'd squash a spider on sight. But after seeing your photos, I'll catch it in a container and let it out instead.'"

Dara’s Fantastic Five

Dara shared five of his favorite creatures—bugs (and one not-quite-bug)- that captured his lens and heart. Each one, he says, has a role in keeping our planet alive and thriving.

Welcome to the Dara Ojo Insectarium.

1. Tree Hoppers
Small, colorful, and quick to vanish, treehoppers are some of Dara’s trickiest subjects. He’s photographed them in Canada and Costa Rica, each shot feeling like a small victory.

2. Damsel Fly
Contrary to their name, these insects don’t wait for a prince to save them. Damselflies are fierce hunters, and dazzling ones at that. Dara has photographed them in China, Canada, and Nigeria.

3. Moth
Moths are the cousins of Butterflies, and they both work in the same pollination company. While butterflies work the day shift, moths clock in at night. To Dara, they're simply "ridiculously fine."

4. Spiders
They are not technically bugs, but dear to Dara all the same. Misunderstood and feared, spiders do a quiet, critical job. Dara has captured them in China, Costa Rica, Canada, and Nigeria.

5. Ambush Bug
With the stealth of an Assassin bug and the charge power of a Praying Mantis, Ambush bugs are a force to be reckoned with. Dara discovered one by chance in Canada.

Fun Facts About Dara and His Bugs

Here are some fun facts about Dara and his beloved bugs!

• Dara is a Data analyst by profession and a Macro Photographer by passion.
• He would want to be a dragonfly if he could be any bug.
• The funniest comment on his work was when someone said a spider he photographed looked like their ex. (He’s heard that twice!)
• His dream project with a million-dollar budget would be to travel to every country, photograph an insect in each one, and create a global insect gallery.
• His dream destination to shoot at is Madagascar.
• Dragonflies and Damselflies are some of the most underrated insects
• While bees get all the praise, Dara insists wasps may be better pollinators because they travel farther and pollinate more plants.

Lessons From Dara

When asked to share wisdom with aspiring macro photographers, Dara urged them to be patient and passionate about nature and insects. After all, as he candidly puts it, “it’s not monetarily viable at the moment.”

He also cautions beginners not to get hung up on expensive gear. Master the basics, he says, and let your skills grow before investing in more sophisticated tools. For storytellers, his advice is bolder: "Push boundaries so that people cannot teach you. Don't stay in your comfort zone."

Through his lens, Dara Ojo reminds us that empathy isn’t only for the creatures we find cute or majestic. Sometimes, it’s for the tiny, buzzing, misunderstood lives that quietly keep our planet alive.