[David H. Bebbington]

I am not sure what fits this category of "artistic" - black and white, barn doors? What you are saying about insect photography could be applicable to any wildlife photography - do you find any wildlife photography done in color "artistic."

I think the distinction is quite clear - technical and scientific macro work calls for the maximum amount of factual information in a picture, which in turn calls for high sharpness, deep focus and flat lighting (as does technical photography of any kind). An artistic approach would (or at least could) move away from any or all of these and aim to communicate emotion rather than fact.

Regards,

David