Focus on the Background Part 1: Photography, plus Quick Fix Tips!

In this series we will take a look at the importance of background in a variety of niches.

Today, we will consider the background in photos.

If you're a photographer background is of unique importance, yet often overlooked or not even considered- especially when you're first starting out.

Picture this (no pun intended 😜): Your child is doing the silliest thing and you're experiencing cuteness overload. You have to capture this moment for your significant other, and, will, lets be honest- it must be shared online with your followers. It's got the elements to go viral, after all.

You get your little one in view and snap away, knowing that you should always take a number of photos when you're dealing with children and animals, since some will be out of focus.

Then, before you know it, just as fast as she began her silly antics she stops. Good thing you acted quickly!

But you know you have a winner in there! You scroll through the gallery, looking for the one.

Your heart sinks. You were able to capture a dozen photos, but, unfortunately, the background is horrible, making you not want to share the otherwise cute and silly image. There's trash strewn about and that dirty diaper you hadn't thrown away is in plain view. Three background is so unappealing it totally takes away from the subject and makes the entire photograph feel unprofessional and trashy.

How many times did the background ruin an otherwise awesome photograph? Whether it's because the color washed out or overpowered the subject, or there's offensive objects that pull attention away from the subject, the background is as important as the subject of your photos.

Thankfully there's a few things we can do to prevent or alleviate the problem of busy, intrusive, or just plain ugly backgrounds.

Be aware

Simply being aware of the background is the best preventative. Then, you can adjust as needed by adapting your position or manipulating the area.

Editing

You don't need Photoshop skills to blur the background. Download a free photo editing App- my favorite is Light X- click on Focus under Tools, and you can either have the program automatically blur the background, or you can do it manually. You even have the option of choosing the strength of the blur effect.

You can also use the Desaturate tool to wash out colors in chosen areas.

Crop

Sometimes just cropping the photo will remove enough of the unwanted background elements, and really make your subject stand out.

Black & White

If the background is full of bright and distracting colors, or too much color similar to that of the subjects', simply removing all color by changing it to black and white might be the best option.

If you want to get even fancier, add a splash of color to certain objects in your photo after converting to black and white. Talk about making your subject pop!

Again, you don't need expensive software and extensive Photoshop knowledge. Free apps like Light X are user friendly, easy to use, and have a miriad of features- with new ones being added regularly.

Play with it

Make a copy of your photo- never work on the original! Play around with different tools until you advice the desired effect.


Photography is fun and rewarding! Getting to know your photo editing App or software is, too!

Spending a few minutes on each photo will make your posts appear more professional to your readers, no matter if you write a travel or food blog, submit photographs with your articles to nature or car magazines, or just love to post to social media for your family and friends.

Happy capturing, friends!

Read next: Focus on the Background Part 2: Writing & Characters

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