Photography Step By Step

The background in a photography is both an opportunities and a challenge to photographers. On the one hand it can put a subjects in context and make it stand out in a way that highlights it wonderfully, but on the other hand backgrounds can overwhelm subjects and distract from them. Some of the common problems that photographers have with backgrounds are:

Distracting Focal Points – this can happen to everyone – you line up a shot of a friend to take a portrait and just as you press the shutter someone else pops into the frame with the intention of ruin your shot. The result is that the real focal point of the shot becomes this person which pops into the frame. This is an extreme example of distracting focal points in the background but it’s something that happens quite a lot.
Protruding Elements from Subjects Heads – this is something so common that I have to mention it. When shooting a portrait one of the common mistakes is for some background element to look like it’s sticking up out of a person’s head – like a horn. It’s often trees but could be anything. These shots can be quite comical but can also really throw the composition of a shot off.
Competing Lines – if your subject has lines in it and your background also has strong lines they can compete in such a way that the image becomes busy or so that the lines clash with one another.

There are a couple of strategies for dealing with distracting backgrounds:
Check your Background Before Hitting the Shutter Release: Always scan the background of your shots before taking a shot. Look for colors that don’t fit with the rest of the image, bright patches that might distract the eye, lines that clash, people that don’t belong etc.
Move Your Subject: This is a fairly simple technique but is probably the first thing you should consider. Quite often asking a portrait subject to take a step to the left or right will fix things either by putting the distraction behind them or by putting it out of frame.
Change your Shooting Angle: If you have distracting elements in the background of a shot but can’t move your subject another strategy is to move yourself and shoot from a new angle. This might mean rotating around your subject but could also include getting down low to make the sky the background or even getting up high and shooting down onto your subject to make the background the ground.
Using Aperture to Blur Backgrounds: One of the most useful things to learn as a way to combat distractions in backgrounds (and foregrounds) is to use the power of your lens to throw the background out of focus using depth of field. What you’re trying to achieve with this technique is a nice blurred background where you can’t really make out what’s going on there. The easiest way to do this is to use a wide aperture (the smaller the number the wider the aperture). The wider your aperture the more blurry your background should become. The quickest way to see the impact of this strategy is to switch your camera into aperture priority mode and to take a number of shots at different apertures. Start with an aperture of f/20 and work your way down – one stop at a time. Once you get down to under f/4 you’ll start seeing the background in your shots getting blurrier and blurrier.
Using Focal Length to Blur Backgrounds: Another way to help get your backgrounds nice and blurry is to use a lens with a long focal length. Longer tele-photo do help a little to get narrower depth of field. In actual fact the impact is smaller than it seems and the main reason for the change is that with a longer focal length the subject actually takes up more space in the frame. Using longer focal lengths does seem to have some impact and is worth experimenting with.
Place Subjects In front of Open Spaces: Placing your subject a long way in front of other objects will also help to make those objects more blurry. For example if you have the choice between shooting your subject standing right in front of a brick wall or standing in front of an open field – the open field shot will have a much more blurred background simply because the brick wall is just centimeters from your subject whereas an open field stretches off into the distance where everything will be out of focus.
Fill your frame with your subject: One of the most effective ways of removing distractions from backgrounds is to remove the background altogether by totally filling the frame with your subject. Get up close and/or use your zoom lens to tightly frame the shot and you’ll not only remove distractions but could end up with a high impact shot as well.
Make your Own Background: Sometimes there just isn’t any suitable background and so you might want to consider making your own. This could range from buying a purpose built studio background or simply buying some cloth to do the job for you. The other thing to keep in mind is that in many instances you can move things around in the background of your shots (especially if you’re shooting indoors).
Post Processing: There are numerous ways of editing a shot after you’ve taken it to get rid of distracting elements. These can include blurring techniques, actual removing of elements and replacing them and techniques such as selective coloring (making your subject stand out by making your background black and white).

Shooting moving subjects is always a challenge. The time is short and usually you don’t have a second chance, so you must think and act fast. One of the most important rule that you’ll have to consider when shooting moving subjects is to give them space to ‘move into’. The main idea behind this is to frame in that way so the subject will have space in front of it. Some call the space in front of a moving subject the ‘active space’ in a photograph. Alternatively the space behind your subject is often called ‘dead space’.

The reason that this compositional technique is used is that when someone views an image and sees that your subject is moving in a direction, their eye naturally moves in that direction too. It’s something instinctive. Working with the way your viewer will instinctively view your image helps to create balance, drama and anticipation in your shot. This technique of creating active spaces in action shots can be applied in many types of photography including sports (cars, bikes, people etc), wildlife (photographing a running animal) or any other subject matter that is moving.

As with moving subjects, the same rule applies when taking photographs of people. If your subject is looking left, place him/her on the right – allowing him/her to look into the photo. This will create a sense of balance and depth. Similarly, if your subject (be it a person, dog, elephant, whatever) is facing a certain direction, the space should be given to that side.

Of course, as with every rule there are times to break this one, but in general you will find that it works well.

Next time when you are about to press the shutter button on your camera, take a moment and ask yourself: “What is the focal point in this picture?” Some other ways to ask the same question might include – What is the central point of interest? What will draw the eye of the viewers of this picture? What in this image will make it stand out from others? What is my subject?

The reason a focal point is important is that when you look at an image your eye will generally need a point of interest or something that will really hold attention. Without it you’ll find people will simply glance at your shots and then move on to the next one. Once you’ve identified a point of interest or focal point you then should ask yourself how you can enhance it.

A focal point can be virtually anything ranging from a person, to a building, to a mountain, to a flower etc. Obviously the more interesting the focal point the better – but there are other things you can do to enhance it’s power including. Basically there are 6 techniques to enhance the focal point in an image:

Position: Place it in a prominent position, you might want to start with the rule of thirds for some ideas.
Color: using contrasting colors can also be a way of setting your point of interest apart from it’s surroundings.
Blur: If you really want to get tricky you might want to play with slower shutter speeds if your main subject is still and things around it are moving.
Size: making your focal point large is not the only way to make it prominent, but it definitely can help.
Shape: similarly contrasting shapes and textures can make a subject stand out, especially patterns that are repeated around a subject.
Focus: Learn to use Depth of Field to blur out other aspects in front or behind your focal point.

Keep in mind that a combination of above elements can work well together.

Lastly, don’t confuse the viewer with too many competing focal points which might overwhelm the main focal point. Secondary points of interest can be helpful to lead the eye but too many strong ones will just clutter and confuse.

There is a rule in photography that says if you want to improve your photographs 100 percent, move closer. It’s true. The one sure way to keep from including too much extraneous information in a photograph is to fill the frame with your subject and nothing but your subject. Filling the frame from edge to edge leaves little doubt about what your intended target was. There are two ways to get closer: Use a telephoto lens or walk closer to the subject.

While empty spaces can be used effectively in photos to create stunning results you’re much more likely to get a positive appreciation from those looking at your photos if your shots are filled with interest. This technique is particularly important when taking pictures of people whose facial features tend to disappear when you move away from them. While it can be appropriate to take shots that put a person in context with the environment that they are in, if they get lost in the picture you might as well just take a shot of the scene and leave them out of it.

The simple act of making your subject bigger in the frame involves the viewer at a much more intense level. A chin-to-forehead portrait of an interesting face, for example, immediately puts the viewer eye-to-eye with your subject. A very tight shot of a bear, even if you made it with a long lens at the zoo, creates breathless drama.

A common problem here is that we often think we’re filling the frame when in fact we’re not even close. What’s happening is that when you’re standing in front of a scene, you’re concentrating so intently on your subject that your brain is tricked into thinking your subject is closer than it actually is. The solution? As soon as you think you’re close enough to your subject, take a few steps forward and try again. Just before you snap the shutter, roll your eye around the frame and see if there’s anything you can eliminate. When in doubt, take a few more steps closer.

Vertical lines have the ability to give a variety of different moods in a photograph ranging from power and strength to growth. As horizontal lines can be accentuated by shooting in horizontal format vertical lines can be used very effectively by swapping the way you hold your camera into a vertical framing. This lengthens the vertical subject further which can emphasize it’s height. The other option is to break this rule and frame your vertical subject horizontally which will give it the sense that your image can’t contain it.

It is important to attempt to keep your vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible. This is not always possible if you’re shooting looking up an image as the subject will taper off towards the top – but attempt to keep it’s center as straight as possible. Keep in mind the Rule of Thirds when you have strong vertical lines in a photograph. Placing a line directly in the middle of a shot will effectively cut your image in half. This can be used with dramatic impact but also can leave your image looking segmented. Also keep an eye out for vertical lines that are repeated in patterns in your images as they can be used to great impact – particularly if they are contrasted with other shapes and lines going in different directions.

Diagonal lines generally work well to draw the eye of an image’s viewer through the photograph. They create points of interest as they intersect with other lines and often give images depth by suggesting perspective. They can also add a sense of action to an image and add a dynamic looks and feel.

Consider how you might use diagonal lines to lead the eye to your photograph’s main subject or point of interest. Studies have been done into how people view images and many of them say that a natural way into an image is by traveling left to right and so a diagonal line starting at the bottom left and moving to the top right of an image can be quite useful and natural. Of course you wouldn’t want to split your image into two with a harsh line from corner to corner. Look for for patterns and curves between shapes that might do this naturally. Rather than making a line go from the very corner to the opposite corner it’s often good to make them off center and go to either side of corners. Keep in mind that numerous diagonal lines leading in different directions and intersecting with one another can add a sense of action to your photo but adding too many diagonal lines might make it chaotic and confusing.