Backgrounds can make or break any image of any genre. Macro images are no exception. Backgrounds matter, a lot! In macro photography however things can get tricky when it comes to backgrounds. At times, the insect we are photographing sits still enabling you to move your position to get the best possible background. We talked about this last week. At times, the insect moves around as it gathers pollen, for example. This makes focusing tough. But that movement may also help you. If the insect's head is facing away from you, just wait, as the moving insect may very well turn towards you. Then, of course, there are insects that move very fast. They fly from one flower to the next and they seem to be out to make your photography difficult for you. What can we do regarding getting the best possible background with flying insects that don't sit still for long?

          Shoot many images, oh, and just be patient. Here is what I am talking about:

Okay, the background is beautiful. But the stem right behind the bee is a distraction for me. I would much prefer if the background right behind the subject did not have anything behind it other than a blurred background. There is nothing we can do to solve this. The bee flies off too soon. There are too many unknowns, we don't know where it is going to land. In cases like this, the only way to get rid of that stem is to follow the bee as it moves and shoot, shoot, and shoot. Most of the time you will get another image without the pesky stem behind your insect.

The other alternative is to pick your flower, to position yourself in such a way that you have a nice background, and then just to sit and wait for the insect to come to your flowers. Sometimes that works well, sometimes following the bee works. I have been successful both ways. The point that I would like to highlight is that the "background" does not just refer to the distant background but to any and everything behind your main subject. Sometimes, that background is not in the distance but right behind your subject.

          Twigs right behind a bird, tend to ruin your photograph. Brush behind animals mostly don't make for great images. Stems behind insects can also be problematic. Whatever technique you chose, try to make sure that your subject does not have something distracting behind it. Yes, you can still tell a story and show the environment of the animal by including that which makes part of its life, but place that to the side and try to do your best to have nothing distracting directly behind your subject.