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Editor’s Note

Welcome to the final week of our autumn macro series! This is your last chance tosubmit your entries for our macro photography photo competition, so make sure to send in your best close-up shots before the deadline. We can't wait to see what you've captured!

To wrap up the series, our theme this week is The Art of Bokeh. In macro photography, the background is just as important as the subject because it takes up so much of the frame. We’ll be sharing how to turn distracting backdrops into smooth, beautiful washes of colour that make your subjects truly stand out.

Monthly photo competition

Week 1: The Art of Bokeh (Background Mastery)

In macro, the background is just as important as the subject because it takes up so much of the frame.

⚠️ Weekly prompts are just a guide — interpret them your way, as long as your shot captures the spirit of the month's theme.⁠

How to enter:

To participate, simply complete the submission form on our portal on our website. Make sure your entries align with this month's theme. For additional guidance, check the photographic tips below.

Prizes:

1st Prize: TTArtisan MF 100mm F2.8 X Macro Lens Valued at $629.95 RRP

2nd Prize: Apexel MACRO 200X Clip on Phone Lens - Close Up Lens with LED
Valued at $34.95 RRP

Deadline:

All entries must be submitted by 31st May, 2026.

Make sure to read the FAQ on the competition page at the link below to understand all the details and rules of the competition.

We look forward to receiving your photos and celebrating your creativity

An interesting fact about the
TTArtisan 100mm f/2.8 2x Macro Lens

For those looking to go beyond standard close-ups, this manual-focus powerhouse offers an incredible 2:1 magnification, allowing you to capture double the detail of a traditional macro lens. Its bright f/2.8 aperture creates a beautiful, shallow depth of field that makes subjects pop against a smooth background, while the all-metal construction ensures it can handle the rigours of outdoor shooting. Specifically impressive on mirrorless setups, it delivers edge-to-edge sharpness that brings the smallest textures into stunning focus.

The Panasonic Lumix L10: Sophisticated Design Meets GH7 Performance

Panasonic has just unveiled the Lumix L10, a premium compact camera that beautifully marries classic aesthetics with flagship performance. Encased in a tactile, saffiano-textured metal body, the L10 packs the impressive 20.4MP BSI CMOS sensor from the acclaimed GH7 alongside a versatile 24–75mm f/1.7–2.8 Leica lens. It delivers professional-grade dynamic range, exceptional low-light capabilities, and gorgeous out-of-camera colour thanks to its new real-time LUT support.

Best suited for creators and passionate photographers who value a tactile, stylish shooting experience just as much as uncompromising image quality, the new Lumix L10 is available in both Black and Silver.

While macro photography is celebrated for its ability to reveal microscopic details, the background is just as crucial as the subject itself because it occupies the vast majority of your frame. When working at such high magnifications, the space behind your subject melts into a wash of blur, known as bokeh. However, a messy, high-contrast backdrop can easily distract the eye and ruin an otherwise perfect shot. This week, we are mastering the art of background selection, exploring how to manipulate the shapes, colours, and light behind your subject to create a clean, professional canvas that makes your main subject truly pop.

Maximise Subject-to-Background Distance:

The secret to achieving a buttery-smooth, undistracted background is physical separation. The further your background is from your subject, the more completely your lens will render it out of focus; even moving your camera a few millimetres to find a subject with a distant backdrop rather than one resting right against a wall of leaves will dramatically clean up your image.

Seek Out Pockets of Light for Circular Bokeh:

Beautiful, specular highlights, those glowing circles of light in the background, occur when your lens defocuses bright points of light. Look for sunlight filtering through autumn canopy leaves, or morning dew catching the sun just behind your subject, to turn a flat, dark background into a dynamic, twinkling mosaic.

Align Your Camera Plane to Control the Blur:

Because your depth of field is razor-thin in macro, the angle of your camera matters immensely. By keeping your camera sensor perfectly parallel to your subject while ensuring the background is completely flat and perpendicular to your lens, you can ensure the backdrop is uniform in texture, avoiding awkward, half-sharp branches cutting through the frame.

Use Complementary Colours for High Contrast:

Treat your background like a studio backdrop by paying close attention to colour theory. If you are shooting a vibrant orange autumn leaf, try shifting your shooting angle slightly so that a patch of deep green foliage or a shadow-cast tree trunk sits behind it, using natural colour contrast to isolate and elevate your primary subject.

To master the art of background bokeh and achieve that perfectly smooth, isolated look in your macro imagery, having the right combination of hardware and accessories makes a world of difference. A fast, dedicated macro prime lens with a wide maximum aperture is the foundation for creating creamy, out-of-focus backgrounds while keeping your tiny subject tack-sharp. To ensure your camera plane remains perfectly steady and parallel to your subject for uniform background blur, a stable tripod paired with a multi-axis geared tripod head allows for the precise, microscopic framing adjustments that macro photography demands.

To manipulate the texture and lighting of your background, a few compact accessories are indispensable. A 5-in-1 pocket reflector and diffuser kit is incredibly versatile; you can use the diffuser panel to soften harsh sunlight hitting the backdrop, or use the black side as a clean, artificial flag to completely block out a distracting environment.

NEED HELP? TALK TO AN EXPERT 1300 365 220

“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”

- Dorothea Lange

Your photo question of the week:

When creating beautiful background "bokeh" circles in macro photography, what physical part of your lens directly controls whether those glowing light shapes look perfectly round or like multi-sided polygons?

A) The front filter thread

B) The aperture blades

C) The focal length switch

D)The image stabilisation element

Last week’s question:

Because you are shooting so close to your subject in macro photography, your camera lens often blocks the ambient light and casts a dark shadow over the scene. What is this common lighting obstacle called?

A) Lens flare

B) Chromatic aberration

C) Vignetting

D) Gear shadowing

Let's face it. Not all of us are professionals, and even still, pros still need to learn a thing or two about photography or cinematography. That's why we've put together this section. We want to highlight some of the common and not-so-common questions people face when attempting a particular genre.

“I love macro shots with a perfectly sharp subject and a beautifully soft, blurred background. But when I open my lens to f/2.8 to blur the background, only a tiny sliver of my subject stays in focus. How do I get that creamy background without sacrificing the crisp details of my subject?”

You have discovered the macro photographer's great balancing act! At extreme close-up distances, your depth of field shrinks to mere millimetres, making an aperture of f/2.8 much too shallow for most subjects.

The secret isn't just a wide aperture, it is spatial separation. First, do not be afraid to stop down your aperture to f/8 or f/11. Because you are shooting so close, this keeps your entire subject sharp while inherently softening the background. Second, maximise the physical distance behind your subject. Change your angle, getting lower or stepping slightly to the side, so your background is at least a metre or two away. That distant foliage will naturally fall out of focus, melting into the soft, creamy bokeh you want without sacrificing your subject's sharp details.

Reader’s gallery

Navigate to our reader’s gallery to see a selection of entries to help inspire your vision. You can also see the past winners there. Thank you to everyone who sent in their images. We love seeing them!

Sometimes, all we need is some visual motivation, like these images, to spark our creative thoughts. What will you create with your camera this week? Enter your images via our online portal, and we look forward to showcasing them.