Backgrounds and composition (rainy day project)

Paul Iddon

Paul Iddon

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Of course one of the secrets to getting a good image in macro photography is getting the lens (or crops) where you want them to make the viewer look in the right place - and it's also important to have a background that doesn't ruin the image but hopefully enhances it.

So in the short 7 image series, I have tried to show what I mean. (just to add, I handheld the camera and swapped the background between shots).

The first photo is the dandelion clock taken (in the studio if you will, i.e. it's in the kitchen) placed close to a nondescript background, in this instance, the tiled wall behind the cooker.

Once there, it was time to find a part of the seed head and concentrate on that to try and get a pleasing result. But the background doesn't really do much for the photo, so I introduced one of six different printed backgrounds (bought from my friend Stewart Wood) to try and get a more aesthetic final image - the results of which are below.

Dand0__1400.jpg



So the first image looked very "ordinary" which is when I went for the options, posted below.

Enjoy, and feel free to choose your preferred photo.

Dand1_1400.jpg


Dand2_1400.jpg


Dand3_1400.jpg


Dand4_1400.jpg


Dand5_1400.jpg


Dand6_1400.jpg



Paul.
 
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Gawd I'm gonna be "the one" that says I prefer the original. :exit:

You're right and I find (as an extreme beginner when it comes to macro) that getting the focus in the right place to draw the eye to where you want it is the hardest bit. Especially with a subject like this. When I look at your subsequent image(s) I find my eye initially drawn to the droplet, but as it's a bit obscured, I look around a bit more 'till I see those two super sharp strands in the lower left of the image which is not where I feel I should be looking.

The darker backgrounds help lift your (light) subject and introduce contrast, so I prefer those if that's any help.

In the original shot, my eye is drawn to the centre of the flower where I can even see the outline of the clock-less head, as well as all the detail of the bits & bobs. My eye can then wander leisurely to the soft edges and then appreciate the image as a whole. Works much better for me, and if I had to print out 1 big and put it on the wall, it would be the 1st one. Even though the background has that mildly distracting light "bar" across the top.
 
I agree the background is super important for macro and I at least don’t very often have control over it as the subjects won’t hang around long enough for me to use a different background
Sometimes things work out and the butterfly or whatever is positioned nicely
I like the 5th new background shows it off nicely
 
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