Backgrounds can make or break your pictures. How do you find a good one when you’re outdoors? In this episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV we will show you few tips on how to choose a background when you are outdoors.
The best backgrounds are ones that don’t distract you, and force your eye to go directly to your subject. Working in a photo studio, gives you the ultimate control over lighting and background. Obviously you don’t have nearly as much control when you’re outside. So you need to practice looking at things with a critical eye. You can decide where to put your subject, and you can line them up with a background that will work to your advantage. You just have to know what to look for. Here are few general tips that would help you choose the right background.
The first thing you want to find is an area that’s dark in relation to your subject. Our eyes tend to go to the brightest part of an image first, and if you’re photographing a person, the brightest part should be their face. Look for a background that’s in the shade, or even a dark color to help it blend away behind your subject.
The second thing to look for is a solid background, something with a lot of detail. Might be interesting to photograph by itself, and works well in some photos, but if it’s too interesting it’s gonna pull you away from your subject. Which is the most important thing in these particular images.
Lastly if you can pull your subject further away from the background, that’ll help it to go out of focus, and turn it into a smooth creamy texture that won’t be distracting.
Your subject will pop right off the screen, solid dark, and far away. If you can get at least one of those, you’ve got a fighting chance. Two out of three is awesome, and finding a background with all three of those elements will guarantee that all eyes are squarely on your subject….which is where you want them to be!
Check out our WORKSHOPS in Los Angeles that teach you hands-on how to make great photos!
One of our closest workshops – Studio Lighting 102 : Portrait Photography Lighting
will take place on November 29th, 7-9pm, in one of our Los Angeles studios !!!
Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV: