Background check: How a good background can make or break your photo

Clifford Oto, The Record
·2 min read

Photographers can often concentrate on the main subject so much so that they can forget about or ignore what’s going on in the background. In truth, a photo’s backdrop can make or break the quality of the image.

The biggest thing about backgrounds is that they’re all too often cluttered with distracting elements. The stereotype of this is the tree or telephone pole sticking out of your subject’s head. There can be many things, say, on a wall or in the scenery beyond the main subject can divert attention from the main subject. There are a few ways that you can alleviate the situation.

If you have a cluttered backdrop try changing positions. While you may have to move to a different location, sometimes all you have to do is move just a few feet or even a couple of inches to get a better background. Sometimes just a step or two to the left or right or shooting from a lower angle can eliminate the distractions. Often, shooting from a kneeling position can do the trick.

You can eliminate distractions simply by getting closer. By filling the frame with your subject you can get rid of unsettling elements at the edges by cropping them out and others you can hide behind the subject.

Erik Andersen of Stockton skates under a canopy of cloudy skies at the Lathrop Generations Center skate park in Lathrop. The clouds ad visual interest to the background.
Erik Andersen of Stockton skates under a canopy of cloudy skies at the Lathrop Generations Center skate park in Lathrop. The clouds ad visual interest to the background.

You can also mitigate distractions by throwing them out of focus. A small aperture creates a shallow depth of field. A telephoto lens will further heighten the effect. By finely focusing on your subject everything in the background should become unrecognizable blurry and help to emphasize your subject.

While distracting backgrounds are to be avoided or eliminated, there are other times that they can add to the aesthetics of your image. A sky full of fluffy clouds, brilliant sunset or a field of colorful flowers can and beauty to a portrait or a scenic image, as long as you make sure there isn’t a tree branch sticking out of someone’s ear.

Winnie Williams of Sacramento takes a selfie in front a field of daffodils on the opening day of Daffodil Hill near the Mother Lode town of Volcano in Amador County. The flowers create a colorful and picturesque background that adds context to the photo.
Winnie Williams of Sacramento takes a selfie in front a field of daffodils on the opening day of Daffodil Hill near the Mother Lode town of Volcano in Amador County. The flowers create a colorful and picturesque background that adds context to the photo.

The main key to the perfect background is to pay attention. A photographers rule of thumb is to look at all four corners of the frame before pressing the shutter button and only when you’re satisfied that any distractions are dealt with, then you can take the picture.

Record photographer Clifford Oto has photographed Stockton and San Joaquin County for more than 37 years. He can be reached at coto@recordnet.com or on Instagram @Recordnet. Follow his blog at recordnet.com/otoblog. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Photography tips: How backgrounds can make or break a photo