Photograph Through a Foreground for Atmospheric Macro Photos

Sunday 24 August 2025, 15:51 by Nando Harmsen | 2,680 views | 1 comment

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

With macro photography, I often see attempts to get the subject as large as possible in the frame. This does not always produce an atmospheric photo. If you want atmosphere, try photographing through a foreground.

Macro means photographing with a macro lens. Preferably at life size, a 1:1 magnification. Sometimes even more. It then becomes difficult to create atmospheric photos. Often it is a nice photo, but nothing more than a record.

A tree frog among the brambles. Large in the frame, clear of surrounding leaves. Neat, but nothing special. (Canon EOS 5D mark IV with 100mm macro, f/5.6)
If you like that kind of photo, then of course that is perfectly fine. Carry on bringing it into the frame in that way. You can also approach macro differently, by focusing more on atmosphere.

You can bring atmosphere into a macro photo in several ways. One of the fun ways is photographing through a foreground. Make use of leaves, grass and other natural elements.

The same tree frog among the brambles, but photographed through a few leaves. Large in the frame, clear of surrounding leaves. Neat, but nothing special. (Canon EOS 5D mark IV with 200mm, f/5.6)
By using a shallow depth of field, the foreground becomes blurred, just like the background. The subject is in between and sharp. The blur creates atmosphere.

It can be a challenge to get it right. You have to pay attention to many things, such as the light and the right 'framing'. But it can also help to hide unwanted objects around your subject.

Another way of photographing through a foreground, this time with more leaves. (Canon EOS 5D mark III with 100mm macro and f/2.8)
Remember that macro is more than just a 1:1 magnification. It is about capturing the small things in the world. Do that in an atmospheric way, not because it always has to be as large as possible in the frame.

This technique can also be used for landscapes and portraits. Give it a try and see where it takes you.

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