HOW TO TAKE GOOD PICTURES – STEP 1 – BACKGROUNDS

Everybody knows how to take a snap, but how do you take a good picture that is interesting to more than just family and friends?

Snappers focus their attention on the subject and don’t take too much notice of what’s behind it. That’s why you’ll see thousands of family photos of cute expression surrounded by a messy, distracting backgrounds.

Photographers, however, keep a very sharp eye on the background in every picture they take. They know that a distracting background will absolutely ruin what could have been a Good Picture.

Taking Control of the Background

Small changes in position can dramatically affect the background: A few steps to the right or left, moving forwards or backwards, using a zoom lens to crop, holding the camera higher or lower is all that it takes.

Here’s a snap with a messy background.

Moving a few steps to the right cleans up the background.

Appropriate backgrounds

A clean, simple background is generally better than a messy one. But when you have the chance to include details that add context to the picture, take full advantage of the situation:

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Here the background enhances the picture by showing the shopkeeper in his environment.

Even in fast-changing situations a good photographer will be moving position, if possible, between shots. The background is King and they give it all the respect it deserves.

Zooming the Background

Another way to control the background is by increasing your distance and cropping. This also creates clean, artistically blurred backgrounds. See how to Zoom the Background here …