Changing moods via backgrounds

My better half brought home a spray of small bromeliad flowers a few nights ago and when I noticed them sitting on the kitchen table, I decided to grab a few shots. I thought it was quite interesting how the mood of an image can be changed by something as simple as a slight change in perspective resulting in a different background.

For the first image, I singled out a individual flower and isolated it away from the rest of the flowers. Due to the fall off of light and nothing close by behind the flowers, this resulted in a pure black background.

For the second image, I moved only a matter on millimetres and shot another flower, this time set against the rest of the flower spray, result in a vibrant background

It’s quite obvious that each image has its own mood, and while neither is “right” or “wrong”, it’s something to keep in the back of your mind when out shooting. It’s important to remember that you can create completely different images by simply varying what you shoot your subject against.

(Both shots with Canon MP-E @ around 4x magnification)

Cheers,
    Anthony