From the course: Photography Foundations: Composition

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Subject and background

Subject and background

From the course: Photography Foundations: Composition

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Subject and background

“

I've got a question for you. What is the subject of this image that you're looking at right now? This is not a trick question. I really want you to think about this. You may immediately think well, obviously you're the subject of that image. But am I really the subject of this image? If I'm the subject then what's the lodge there for? What are the mountains there for? Take a look at this image instead. If I'm the subject, this is a much better composition. Now I am plainly the subject and the lodge is in the background, compared to here where I'm competing with the lodge, or the lodge is competing with me. If you want a picture of the lodge then you don't really need me standing here. This just looks kind of weird. In fact, you start getting a strange sense about this image that maybe I'm trying to imply that this is my lodge or something like that. If you want a picture of me then you don't really need the lodge there, because I'm smaller in the frame and the bulk of the frame is…

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