Photo Tip: Clean up your backgrounds

One of the great things about being a parent is finding your kids doing something especially cute. Often, our first reaction is to grab the camera and try to capture the moment.

Today, I have two tips for you along those lines. First, and most important, is to take the shot as quickly as possible. Sometimes trying to get the perfect angle or composition will cause you to miss the moment. So don't hesitate to capture a couple of shots right away.

Second, pay attention to your background and other things that might be cluttering up the picture. Look for stuff that will distract the viewer's eye from the real focus of the photo -- things like toys lying on the floor, people walking around, bright objects, etc.

See if you can change your position to get a less-distracting background, or pick up items that don't need to be in the photo. Maybe a different perspective will remove some of the problems, too, like crouching down to take the shot.

Look at this photo of my daughter coloring. What is the first thing you notice?


Did you see the dolls? Or the bright yellow toy bin? Maybe the chairs in the background?

There's an awful lot to distract the eye in that photo! Chances are the first thing you saw was something other than my daughter coloring.

For a better photo, I took the dolls off of the table, moved the rocking chair on the right out of the way, and then moved the container of crayons from the left side of the table to the right. Finally, I changed my camera angle by squatting a little and moving to the left.

Here is the resulting photo.


Much better, isn't it? By changing my perspective, I made the background a blank wall. Now the photo has only the subject and what she is doing. There isn't anything to distract you from what I wanted to capture in the photo.

Here's another photo taken in a more real-world situation. I had taken my kids to a local park and my daughter was having a blast on some of the playground equipment. I set up to take the shot where there wasn't anything in the background. I purposefully left out the rest of the playground, the kids, and anything else that would divert the eye.


So to recap, when taking a photo many times what you leave out is just as important as what you leave in. And if it's one of those spur-of-the-moment photos, remember to take a couple of shots immediately (so you will at least have something) and then look for how you can improve the photo.