If you happen to be interested in photography – and need to get your pictures to a whole new, higher level – the important thing to success would be the photography background!
Among the basic differences between beginner and expert photography is that the professional has learned to control and manipulate the photography background – where the beginner focuses all their concentration on the subject and frequently simply lets the background come about on its own.
Have you ever been so caught up in your subject and lighting and so on that (when you examine the finished photo) you see a huge refuse can – behind your model – spilling garbage all over the ground? In each shot? And you never even noticed it during the photo shoot!
Or, have you been guilty of having tree branches seeming to stick from the subject’s head, resembling horns?
These are stupid blunders which can be easily handled and will promptly raise your photography’s impact.
The unpleasant news is we do not really notice how much better our photos are! Let’s face it; if you do not have rubbish or antlers and so on, you don’t pause to consider how much better your shot is…you just do not notice. Our attention only comes to bear if we forget and mess up (we all do from time to time).
If you would like respect for your artistic undertakings, you CANNOT allow these problems into your photos. It’s an easy fix…just remember to check out the backdrop and all four corners inside the viewfinder before you click on the shutter button – next you modify appropriately.
In case you have a hard time remembering, get a strip of masking tape and write – in huge black letters – “CHECK THE BACKDROP”. Then put the masking tape on the backside of the camera. This will help prompt you until it turns into a habit.
You will never know the number of photos you have rescued, nevertheless it’s definitely worth the effort.
The next simplest photography background procedure – to make your model “pop” out of your image – is to isolate them.
I am certain you’ve seen pictures where the model is in clear, sharp focus – but the background is totally out of focus and is only a wash of color.
It’s accomplished by controlling the depth of field.
Depth of field determines just how much of the shot is in focus. There are actually entire publications written about this area (heck, I wrote one myself!) but the simplest ways to accomplish this “wash of color” method are to:
1. Utilize the longest focal length lens you can.
2. Set it towards the widest aperture workable – this will be the lowest f-stop numeral.
3. Make the backdrop as far behind the subject as is realistic. Or else place the model as far in front of the backdrop as you possibly can.
Without a doubt each of the three steps has plenty of variables. Through adjusting the options presented to you, you can make your photography background as focused or unfocused as you feel like. There’s no right or wrong.
Entirely out of focus, partially in focus, sharp as a tack…that is where your imaginative eye comes into the picture.
Once you’ve mastered your “in camera” methods of controlling your backdrops, after that it is time to consider creating some fabric backgrounds. This will give your work a pro “studio” look.
A top notch quality background can literally cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Therefore, in lieu of shelling out the big bucks, I recommend creating your own. Luckily a photography background
is easy to produce and can be made for pennies on the dollar.
Pay attention to your photography background. and you can be capturing professional level pictures in no time.
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