I had several people ask me how I got this shot, specifically the black background, so I thought I would talk about it here. I liked the look, but I thought it was only possible with and actual background. When I learned you could achieve it without one I was intrigued.
The concept is simple, but you may have to tweak it for the best result. With your camera in manual mode, adjust your settings until the background is black when you take a picture - it’s likely your whole image will be black too. When you take the picture, you will add flash to light your subject from the side, illuminating it while retaining the black background.
This has worked for me with the inside macro photography I have been doing lately, and I tested it outside the day before I photographed the orchid, but it didn’t quite work as planned, so I had to add a reflector behind the flower to block the sunlight behind it.
I hope this behind-the-scenes look at photography has been illuminating. If you want to know more about this, there are lots of articles on the internet about creating black backgrounds in photography. It’s where I got my initial information.