bright sunlight on a macro shot gives a black background?

[JBW]

[Colin Southern]

if it's in shadow, then yes.

[Geoff F]

Your camera will be metering off the brightest areas, which in this case is almost white. So that exposure reduction will turn the midtones and shadows darker; as Colin mentioned.

Otherwise, the main subject would be over exposed.

[jcuknz]

Since the range of tones the camera will record is less than the eye can perceive one of the aspects of photography is choosing which part you want to expose for [ in manual mode usually ] black background or white leaf in your example. With tripod you might take two shots one for each option and blend them in editing [ don't ask me how this works becuase I have yet to master that aspect ] I usually edit them together. [ if that makes sense ]

two photos taken with a steady camera will normally register together when openned in the editor so it is a matter of erasing the bits of the top layer you don't like to reveal the good bits in the lower layer. Using a shutter speed change is probably better than changing the aperture. If you are hand holding and the editor permits you to reduce the density of the top layer this feature can help to register the two images ... I frequently do this. Usually with panoramas where I may have half a dozen frames or more to each in turn be lined up to its neighbour.

An alternative editing way is to duplicate the image and adjust each layer in opposite ways and then either blend or delete the 'wrong' areas.

There are pros and cons to each way which experience will tell you what is appropriate for any one photo.

[Saorsa]

The inverse square law applies to reflected light two. Each time you double distance you have only 1/4 the light.

As a result, the further the background from the object being photographed, the darker it will appear. When you get out into normal distances, the focal distance isn't all that different from subject to background. Say someone 6 feet away with a wall two feet behind them. The background is only 1/3 farther from the camera than the subject. Now, take a macro with the subject 1 inch away and the background two inches behind it. The background is 3 times as far from the camera.

[Colin Southern]

The inverse square law applies to reflected light two. Each time you double distance you have only 1/4 the light.

As a result, the further the background from the object being photographed, the darker it will appear. When you get out into normal distances, the focal distance isn't all that different from subject to background. Say someone 6 feet away with a wall two feet behind them. The background is only 1/3 farther from the camera than the subject. Now, take a macro with the subject 1 inch away and the background two inches behind it. The background is 3 times as far from the camera.

Um, no.

You need to think that one through some more.