Conversations: A photo lesson on fore ground and back ground subject matter

We are on our way home from a visit to the Better Half's family in the Cleveland, Ohio area. While she is driving I decided to poat a photo from our visit. These are members of her family. I like this photo because it shows the interaction between people. Something we can all relate to. I also like how the photo has activity in the fore ground and the back ground. Paying attention to the relationship of the fore ground to the back ground can make your photos more interesting.

In the 2nd version of the photo I cropped out the back ground man. Notice how the "story" has changed by altering the fore ground / back ground relationship.

The photo lesson here is that an every day situation can make an interesting photo and the fore ground back ground relationship can alter what the viewer thinks or perceives about the subject matter in the photo. 

Photography Lesson: Foreground and Background

When I take photographs I am always paying attention to the relationship of the foreground to the background. I photograph a lot of events such as weddings, fund raisers, business grand openings, art show openings and more. Photos of those event usually involve people. Whom ever is the main subject in a given situation is usually in the foreground. I focus on that subject and as I begin to take snaps I keep an eye on the folks in the background. I try to capture a moment when the body language of the subject and that of the background people comes together in an interesting fashion. Wide angle lenses are best for this. They provide more depth of field and a more readable background when the depth of field is shallow.

The singer in the foreground is the main subject. I kept an eye on the background people so as to capture a moment in which the body language of each individual added something to the overall interest and composition of the photo.  photo by Gary Walts

I probably snapped a dozen or so photos of the trio in the above photo. I was keeping a close eye on the relationship of each person to the other and settled on this photo as the best. When I photograph events I am always working to capture moments. Photos such as these are not accidents. They are the result of a deliberate attempt to capture such moments by watching what is going on around me. These principals apply to family photos and events also.

Photographing People, or, People Watching

I have a love of watching people. It was probably fostered from my childhood looking at Life and Look magazines that were always in our house. I was exposed to great photo essays by great photographers such as Gene Smith, Grey Villet, Gordon Parks (whom I met when I received a third place in the Eisie Awards) David Douglas Duncan and Larry Burrows. I was so fascinated and enthralled by the work of these photographers. When I am on assignment at events, or at family events I am always watching people. The photos presented here are from my niece L's wedding that took place in Orlando, Florida earlier this month.

Prior to this wedding I had never met any of these folks so I assume they are friends & family of the groom, or aquaintances of my niece. Anyhow, family or not, these photos I made with a selective "Eye". I am interested in the relationship of forground to background subjects. The man & woman for example. She is obviously talking to someone off camera. She is unaware of the man in the background. I snap a few different images switching the focus between him and her. My goal is to take photos of people that ALL PEOPLE can relate to, or some how become interested in regardless if they actually know that person.

Crowd Photo

Got up & practiced guitar for about an hour & half. Mowed the lawn. Uncovered the pool (an Easy Set). Went to Clayton & played guitar for a good 2 hours at Teaism. Went to Target & bought a replacement pool. Same as the old one. Gave a guitar lesson. Collected a couple of rent checks. Went home. Worked on some wedding photos. Checked in with Facebook. Put this photo on this blog. Now going to bed. Good night.