Setting up the shot.
Wouldn’t it be great when you wanted to take somebody’s picture, if you never had to worry about the perfect backdrop? Regrettably, this is not always the case. People often take pictures without much thought to the surroundings. Interesting pictures need not be limited to weddings and vacations! Even your every day pictures can stand out with a minimal amount of effort.
Many of us will pull out a camera to take a picture, and quickly snap the shot without much thought. This is fine if you’re in a hurry to capture what is in front of your lens; however, if you have a couple of moments to it set up properly, you’d be surprised how your pictures can turn out.
Location, location, location. Wonderful as it would be, we can’t always have ideal lighting, stunning scenery or the perfect colours each time we want to take a picture. Sometimes you need to do the best with what you do have. I was recently in an elementary school gym to take pictures of two recreational teams. It was my first time to this location, so I was not familiar with the surroundings. The gym was very plain and the lighting was awful. Whenever you find yourself in a situation of taking pictures under florescent lights, try to find an alternative! These lights add a slight tint of green to any shot. However it was dark outside, so it wasn’t an option for a setting, and we needed to get the shoot done right away. So my first task was to locate a suitable background. Plain white walls can be used as a backdrop, in a pinch, but I noticed one wall that was painted with a multitude of colours. This appealed to me as an interesting challenge. I asked the teams to position themselves near the wall. Notice I mentioned near the wall and not against the wall. This is very important as this backdrop, being busy, shouldn’t be the focal point of the picture. By having the teams stand in proximity to the wall, the vibrancy of the wall was a feature of the setting but the people I was photographing stood out. The pictures turned out great.
White backgrounds do work well with some pictures, but you have to be careful your subjects are not subdued by the potential brightness. As in the example above, I try to incorporate colours or interesting textures when I’m photographing portraits. An interesting background will make your subjects standout in the pictures. A word of caution–try to have a constant background. By that, I mean, multiple items, paintings, furniture and even the small items we never think about, like light switches, can detract from the picture. If you can, try to have a consistent background behind the subject.
You have more background choices in the outdoors. We’re very fortunate to have the Rockies so close to us in Calgary. Photographically speaking, our city’s pretty good looking too. Here’s a trick I like to use when taking pictures of people with mountains or a city as a backdrop. Many of us will take the picture very close to the subject. This method is great, but for a more dramatic picture, try extending your zoom fully and back up about 20 to 40 feet to take the picture. Ensure you center your subject near to the middle of the shot. They must be the focal point for the camera; otherwise this tip will not work. The effect is interesting. Your subject will be clear and though slightly blurred in the background, the mountains or city will appear exaggerated in size.
Happy learning and practicing! See you next issue with a great new tip.
