Two Minute Tips: How to find a good background for outdoor portraits

 

 

When shooting portrait outdoors, it’s critical to find a nice background. What makes a background an ideal choice? Photographer David Bergman offers some tips for finding the best background in the latest episode of Two Minute Tips.

Bergman states that the best backgrounds are ones which are not distracting and force your viewer’s eyes to go directly toward your portrait subject. In a studio, you have control over your lighting and background. When you’re outside, you don’t have nearly as much control over these factors, so you must practice seeking out backgrounds and looking at your surroundings with a critical eye. The first thing you want to find is an area that is dark relative to your subject. When photographing a person, the brightest part of the image should be your subject’s face. Look for a dark color or an area in the shade. The second thing to look for is a solid background. You don’t want your background to be too detailed or interesting as that will draw your viewer’s attention as well. Lastly, if you can pull your subject further away from the background, this will help ensure your subject stands out from the background.

Further, in case you missed last week’s episode, Bergman discussed picture styles and how you can still utilize them even if you are shooting raw images. You can learn how in the video below.

(Via Adorama)