A Beginner’s Guide to Composing a Macro Photo

Macro photography can cover a whole host of species, from insects, plants, reptiles, etc… and can be very challenging when magnifying such a tiny creature. The steps listed below should give you an idea of how to best approach this type of photography and produce some wonderful results.

1) Focal Points

The use of a focal point in macro photography is very important for your composition, because you are magnifying such a small subject. In landscape photography you can have various focal points without it looking too cluttered because you are photographing such a vast scene. However, in a macro shot you only need to have one or possibly two as the viewers eye will become too distracted.

2) Rule of Thirds

This is one of the most common and basic rules used when composing a shot. It’s a great starting point and will help in the early stages of photography, however rules are meant to be broken so this is generally used as more of a guide!

In the image above you will see that it has been divided into 9 equal rectangles, the general rule is to place something of interest at one of these points where the lines intersect. Any natural leading lines are also placed near these points, which makes it more pleasing and appealing to the eye.

3) Leading Lines

Leading Lines are a natural path for the eye to follow as it guides them through an image. The best part is that they can be found pretty much anywhere and they don’t have to be straight either. Our eyes will follow any line with a curve, twist or bend in them. It is one of those things that when you start to spot them, you will be able to see them everywhere!

4) Subject Isolation

Isolating the subject within the frame forms an interesting and appealing composition and it can easily be done by having a nice clean backdrop. The subject should be the main focal point of your image, and you want the viewer’s eye to be instantly drawn to it. Sometimes foliage or other macro subjects can be a real distraction in the scene.

One photographer who is especially good at this is Perdita Petzl and she has to be one of my favourites to follow!

5) Use of Negative Space

Adding some negative space into your image is a great way of ensuring that the viewer’s eye is drawn straight to the subject. In the shot below, you can see that I’ve included more space to the right and moved the subject to the left side of the frame.

6) Research Your Subject

So we get to the final step in this list and this is the most important of them all. Taking the time to watch and photograph various species allows you to predict their behaviour with more accuracy. Trying to predict a spider’s path, or if a bee is going to remain stationary or not is tricky but practicing and watching them will allow you to get the shots that you want.

For example, when photographing spiders, it is easier to capture the image by trying to get ahead of them and allowing them to walk into your frame. Compose your shot and patiently wait! Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but photography would be too easy if every animal behaved themselves!

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