For those who have been with me in the field or are regular readers of my Tips on Take Great Pictures, you’ve either heard me say or read the following: “The background is equally as important as the subject.” This is especially true in macro photography given the diversity of subjects along with the creative aspects that are often incorporated. For instance, a technique known as selective focus is often used to highlight a single portion of a selected petal of a flower. If the background has bright highlights that draw the eye, the selective focus effect will fall short. If the background is busy and doesn’t allow the eye to be comfortably drawn to the selected petal, again the effect will fall short. 

There is a phenomenon I refer to as “tunnel vision composing.” Many photographers look past the subject and ignore the background and all the corners in the frame. The syndrome is very common so don’t feel bad if it ails you. A photographer zeros in on the primary subject and subconsciously ignores whatever else the camera sees. The good news is it’s an affliction that’s easy to overcome. The cure comes in the form of slowing down and studying the entire viewfinder before pressing the shutter. As the photographic disorder is slowly dispelled from your system, you’ll eventually be able to make a cursory glance around the viewfinder and notice any distractions. 

Patience: In macro photography, it’s good when the subject pops from the background. One way to achieve this effect is to photograph the subject against a wash of color. The more simple the background, the more the subject will pop. Wait for the subject to move to a different location or simply find a different subject. As much as you want to be able to make the photo work, if the background is busy, you can’t fight it.

© Russ Burden

© Russ Burden

Move in Closer: One way to help throw a background more out of focus is to keep moving closer. The closer you get to the subject, the more you narrow the angle of view which helps eliminate parts of a background. Additionally, the closer you get to a subject, the more it’s magnified which inherently narrows the depth of field. As depth of field decreases, background and foreground objects fall more out of focus. The caveat is the lack of depth of field also impacts the subject so it’s essential you make note of how it effects the field of sharpness on the primary components. It’s important to note that if the subject is too close to the background, it’s impossible to throw it out of focus.   

© Russ Burden

Make Your Own Backgrounds: If you have complete control over your macro subject, a great trick of the trade is to introduce an artificial background. I’ve used colored pieces of cloth, sheets of cardboard, and even the back of my green jacket. If it has texture, be sure to place it far enough away to fall out of the depth of field range. Solid colors work well as do ones that are dappled in paint. For instance, I painted a green board with blotches of dark and light green. When placed far enough away from the subject, the blotches fall out of focus so it looks like a very natural background. Experiment with different distances and apertures to see where it needs to be placed so the effect looks natural.

© Russ Burden

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