Missing Distractions

This is the fourth part of the series The Seven Deadly Sins in Photography

Quite often, our excitement about a scene or subject makes us forget to look around in the viewfinder, all over the scene, so we can compose avoiding distractions that usually demerit a photograph. Using a tripod always helps to make it easier to check for distractions.

In portraits, often checking the backgrounds can make a difference between a good or a bad photograph. For example, a distraction can become a deadly sin when you allow tree branches or a lamp to look like growing up from the head of the subject. By asking your model to move or positioning yourself at another angle solves most of the possible issues. Being aware of your background distractions can sometimes make a fun picture.

“Chief” Danny Levenson (TiggerGTO) by Brandon Curiel (CO1969SHARK)
Jackson Lake Lodge. Grand Teton National Park. ANPAT 7th
Nikon D70, Nikkor Zoom lens @ 29mm, f/4, 1/250

In landscapes, distractions can also ruin or demerit an image. If you check for them you can almost always recompose. If recomposing doesn’t solve the problem, then the cloning tool becomes your friend.

Cadillac Mountain Sunrise - As shot
Acadia National Park, Maine. ANPAT 17th in the Fall
Nikon D3X, 28-70mm f/2.8D AF-S @ 70mm, f/18, 1/30s, ISO 64
Click for an enlargement