All the secrets of composition in macro photography

If there is a branch of photography, especially valued and practiced by thousands of fans around the world, that’s the macro in the natural environment. Which makes it so popular? From my point of view, the success of this photographic exercise lies in the vastness of situations, individuals and ultimately possibilities that can give us a single square meter of field, especially in spring. We have spoken at length in DZOOM on the most common problems, the difficulties in the availability of light or some general advice to go into it, but what if we work the compositional possibilities offered?

Learning to compose

Get some ease in the handling of the camera functions is a fairly easy task today. Even mastering most photographic techniques will not take too long if you put special effort: internet, books, ebooks or the very possibility of practicing through the trial / mistake we currently provide many facilities. The composition, one aspect of photography that comes from deep within ourselves, is that part of the photo that will make us different from the rest in the same way that each of us has our own way of communicating in speech, Photographic your personality!

I have already recommended it on occasion, but I would again quote you this wonderful book: The Photographer’s Eye by Michael Freeman.

The “rules” of the game: Thirds horizon.

Let’s start with a brief review of the main rules of the game. Granted sense, stability and consistency in composition schemes where points of special interest are located in attractive places for our brain. The rule of thirds, well known by all, is perfectly applicable to macro photography. Hypothetically divide the space of our images into vertical and horizontal thirds and try to fit our players in the best possible way, especially the intersections of these.

The horizon, although it will be difficult to find itself in the discipline in question (remember that most of the funds find unfocused), we will always have something to refer to either imagined or because some element of our image perform their duties.
Geometric compositions

They help to enhance the composition thanks to the graphic simplicity offered. Diagonals, triangles or circles create attractive spaces and lead the reading of the image. It is clearly geometric composition wherein the converging lines to the fly eyes play a crucial role. To Look through the use of natural forms is a common resource in the visual language.

Perhaps one of the peculiarities of the lines that can give greater play is the interaction between these and the ability to create depth. Do not forget that when we practice we are using Macro depths as small field that different planes are created even when we do not want hints of depth.

Looking symmetry

Symmetry is a resource that can give us greater satisfaction than we think. A priori, look symmetrical compositions can go against the basics of composition to initiate to learn but who said that breaking the rules was not an option? A mirror image is stable, very dynamic and if we do not clear our intentions may be even boring. However, it does have some room to enhance our photographs also making use of the so-called “mirror effect”.

We have the possibility of vertical or horizontal symmetries, and it is this aspect that we should focus: if we compose with horizontal symmetry, we will use to achieve that vertical asymmetry locate our strengths in areas of greatest attraction. The double symmetry, vertical and horizontal, is also an option to use it to our advantage to know create compositions with special visual potential.

The importance of background

In a way, it reminds me of the Macro shooting in the presence of fog and safe jump a question immediately, what similarities do they have? Why?

First funds are fuzzy; the images lose weight but no longer play a crucial role. In addition, both disciplines have a common denominator: the depth. While a used depth of field to choose how deep we want, the other does through physical landscape degraded by an element like water in suspension.

The background is very important : by depths of field can leave small smooth it away from every interaction in our compositions or sharer of our visual language ensuring that certain elements within it (color spots, lines or shapes) interact with our hero. Personally I am more in favor of entering it in the compositional play, but in certain situations, especially if we want to emphasize the main reason, it is logical to pretend it into the background. As you can see, the composition is very personal!

Practice minimalism compositional in Macro is an option, sure, give us many satisfactions. We just talked about the similarities between the fog and macro photography, where the background is key, and inevitably we face a new aspect: if we can control the line, how about if we practice minimalism? Would seek to remove all those elements in a scene that either is redundant or competing loaded image in the limelight with the main reason we have chosen. Again, if we can control the background would be logical to think that we can easily isolate our motives right?