MikeOxon wrote:I have also occasionally added a little at the side of a photo, in an attempt to improve the overall balance. I feel that your 'anti-crop' needs a little more at the top.
On another controversial point - although the plain background is widely admired and considered to add to the artistic value, I often like to see a little more of the surrounding habitat, especially for photos taken 'in the wild' I once suggested (tongue in cheek) that one should carry around a selection of backgrounds to place behind a subject, to achieve the 'plain' effect
I posted a shot, last year, from the opposite end of the spectrum at
download/file.php?id=59002&mode=view
Mike
Hi Mike, i like that word you used - "Anti Crop"
Funny you should mention backgrounds, last year i stumbled across a guy(on some macro forum, cant remember which one now?!) who showed how he had made a couple of backgrounds. He had used tiny coloured beads, glued to sheets of small paper/card, in order to create the perfect background, for his macro work.
I said to my wife, thats it, im gonna give that coloured beaded background a go for 2015, it may just work...............She looked at me, like they do
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
...knowing full well that i wouldnt even get that idea "Past Go". I had the intention there though, just didnt get around to making any
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
TBF, those beaded backgrounds might work with the average docile "Bug", but try placing a fake background behind an active butterfly!! Im pretty sure the butterfly would be gone in an instant, well before you even lined up your camera, let alone got the focus locked on.
I like your Small Tortoiseshell image too, it works well.
I have a few Flickr friends who ask me if i have any wider/environmental images of my Adders(Vipera Berus) in situ....Nope, you guessed it, 99% of my reptile images are up close/macro
Cheers Paul.