Watch Your Back

by Deanna 

I know this has probably been said before, but I am here to say it again, because I apparently need to hear this again and again.  Watch what is going on behind your subject.  Sometimes whatever it is blends nicely with your subject, sometimes not so much.  Sometimes I get so engrossed with my subject that I simply forget that important step.  After checking your white balance, your exposure, your ISO, your aperature, your shutter speed, you forget that last crucial step.  Is there a tree growing out of your subject's head?  How many times have I done that to a poor soul.  I have the perfect everything else, only to download it and discover that darn tree or light fixture or whatever popping up in the worst spot.  You would think that with the amount of pictures I have taken over the last 4 of 5 years that this would become second nature to me, but no, I am still very capable of growing that tree or putting that lamp in the most inopportune spot.  It usually is as simple as moving your body one way or the other to eliminate the problem.  

Here is a prime example of how a little movement on my part would have eliminated this....

Here is an example of a simple movement that changed the over-all look of the whole image. Notice the sign in the first image, by moving and re-focusing, the background now has a cleaner look.

And on this same note....if you are using a wide open aperature (blurry background....small number) LOOK for something behind your subject that may enhance your photo.  I specifically did this yesterday when I went to the Arboretum to gather more photos of our absolutely gorgeous Fall season.  I liked the look of this dark green (which was a building) against the lone hanging leaf.  

Here is another leaf against this same green building....it just makes those fall colors pop with that background.

And along this same line, watch when taking photos during a grey day, when the skies are almost white. Sometimes the white sky eventho it may have alot of that pretty bokeh could become distracting.  I am notorious in doing this.  Sometimes it just can't be helped.  Especially if you have limited time for taking a nature shot.  Our Falls are usually so brief that I go out in any weather, just to be able to capture the beauty of the reds, oranges, golds & yellows, and sometimes I have to live without those beautiful blue skies and settle for a white sky in order to capture that moment.  

I would much rather see a pretty blue sky than an ugly white one, so consider the sky also when you are snapping those nature shots.  But sometimes it just can't be avoided.  

Whether you are shooting landscapes, nature, people or still life's, backgrounds can either enhance or distract,...just "watch your back."  

Now that we have come to the end of another month (again, and so quickly) we have a new Monthly Focus for November and a challenge to accompany this month's Focus.  Please click on the "Monthly Focus" tab to read all about it....hint, it has something to do with gratitude.