It’s not unusual for beginning photographers to try to pack everything into one photograph. We’ve all seen this in the stereotypical vacation photos where the photographer is trying to capture a photo of a loved one against a stunning background scene. We’re left wondering what we should be looking at, the person or the scenery. Unless you know the person, these images fail to hold your interest.
The strongest and most interesting images are those that have one, clearly identifiable subject. The old saying “keep it simply simple” applies directly to photographs. One subject with minimal distractions usually provides the best image. It leaves a very clear image in the viewer’s mind with no doubt about what he should be looking at.
Find your subject then work on eliminating all elements that distract from the subject. Keep only those elements that support or enhance the subject and you’ll wind up with better images.
Good shooting
Frank
Tags: background, butterfly, macro, simple
Interesting comment on putting things in a different perspective. I was recently paging through “Rare,” Joel Sartore’s collection of endangered species photographs, and was intrigued by his bald eagle portrait. The animal’s head is facing away from the photographer, enticing the viewer to take a second look at an otherwise well-publicized creature — and emphasizing its brush with disappearing forever.
You bring up an interesting point, Lauren. Sometime shooting what seems like the worst way approach a subject can be quite revealing. The late Galen Rowell was a big fan of looking at a subject from a perspective that you don’t think will work. Sometimes you may be surprised to find that it does work. It a refreshing change from shooting what everyone else is shooting.