Backgrounds: They Can Make or Break a Photo

By Jim Zuckerman

Backgrounds are more important than many photographers realize. Distracting elements, unwanted highlights, and bold lines that are not part of the subject will pull our attention away from the important part of a photo.

For example, look at the two shots I did in India. The first one shows a sunny highlight on the plant at the left. This isn’t terrible, but it’s definitely not ideal. By changing my shooting position in the second photo, I eliminated the highlight and now nothing in the background detracts from the subject. Sometimes all it takes is a small movement to get rid of undesirable elements behind a subject, and that can make or break a picture. In my Eight Steps to More Dramatic Photography course here at Betterphoto, I have one entire lesson devoted just to backgrounds because I feel that they impact a picture so much. By paying attention to what is behind your subject, your photography will take a quantum leap forward in professionalism and artistry.

Comments

[Juli]

Wow - even the difference in color of the woman's clothing is dramatic. Did you do anything to the color saturation on the second photo?

[Allan]

Oh I beg to differ with you all. The top picture with the sombre hues do the trick for me. The high light on the plant does not distract but helps show where the light is coming from. Compositionally opening up the environment gives more contrast, (small vs big) of a small dark skinned woman huddled against a massive rock like she is in a small canyon. A much more telling story.