Capturing an attractive background in macro photography is difficult because often a subject in nature is so close to to grasses, twigs, leaves or other elements that they become distracting. A great solution for that is to place a print of out of focus foliage behind the subject. No matter how small the lens aperture is, the background remains attractively out of focus and therefore complementary. For this picture of a caterpillar, I held a 13 x 19 inch print about 12 inches away and used a ring flash for the illumination. The ring flash provided light that simulated diffused lighting and yet allowed me to use f/32. The lens I used here was a 50mm macro. Note that with a 50mm macro, the working distance is just a few inches. That close proximity enables the artificial light to wrap itself around the subject. With a 100mm macro or even a 200mm macro, the working distance is further away, and that means if you use flash -- any kind of flash -- it's more harsh.
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