The Photography Background – Instantly Shoot Better Photos!

If you happen to be fascinated with photography - and need to get your photography to a whole new, higher level - the important thing to success often is the photography background!

Among the important distinctions between beginner and expert photography is that the pro has learned to control and manipulate the photography background - where the novice focuses all their attention on the model and frequently simply lets the background happen on its own.
 
Ever been so caught up in your model and lighting and so forth that (when you examine the finished shot) you see an enormous waste can - behind your model - spilling rubbish all over the ground? In every photo? And you didn't even see it in the course of the photo shoot!

Or, maybe you have been guilty of having tree branches seeming to erupt from the subject's head, resembling antlers?

They are silly blunders which can be effortlessly fixed and will quickly boost your photography's impact.

The unpleasant news is we don't really see how much better our photographs are! Let us face it; if you don't have trash or antlers and so forth, you don't pause to consider how significantly better your photo is…you just don't notice. Our attention only comes to bear if we forget and screw up (we all do on occasion).

If you'd like admiration for your artistic undertakings, you CANNOT allow these problems into your pictures. It is a simple repair…just remember to think about the backdrop and all four corners inside the viewfinder before you press the shutter button - and then you adjust appropriately.

If you have a hard time remembering, get a strip of masking tape and jot down - in huge black letters - "CHECK THE SURROUNDINGS". After that stick the masking tape on the back of the camera. It will help prompt you until it becomes a habit.

You won't ever be aware of how many pictures you have saved, but it's definitely worth the effort.

The next simplest photography background technique - to make your subject "explode" from our photograph - is to isolate them.

I am sure you've noticed images where the subject is in clear, sharp focus - however the background is totally out of focus and is nothing but a wash of color.

It is accomplished by manipulating the depth of field.

Depth of field establishes just how much of the photograph is in focus. You can find whole courses written re this area (heck, I wrote one myself!) but the easiest ways to accomplish this "wash of color" technique are to:

1.    Make use of the longest focal length lens possible.
2.    Open it up to the widest aperture workable - this would be the lowest f-stop numeral.
3.    Make the backdrop as far to the rear of the model as is workable. Or else situate the model as far in front of the backdrop as you are able to.

Clearly each of the 3 steps has quite a lot of variables. Through adjusting the choices available to you, you can make your photography background as focused or de-focused as you desire. There is no right or wrong.

Completely out of focus, somewhat in focus, sharp as a tack…this is the point where your creative eye comes into the picture.

As soon as you've mastered your "in camera" methods of controlling your backgrounds, next it's time to consider making a few cloth backgrounds. This can give your work a pro "photo studio" appearance.

A good quality background can literally cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Therefore, as opposed to shelling out the big bucks, I like to recommend creating your own. Happily a  photography background
is straightforward to produce and can be made for pennies on the dollar.

Put some effort into your photography background. and you will be shooting professional level images in no time.

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