7 Tips for Choosing the Right Background for your Wildlife and Landscape Photos

When you face a scene in nature that you wish to photograph, you must pay attention to the main subject, the balance of masses, and the elements that reinforce the reading. Most of all, you must be careful with the background.

In this article, I will list 7 important tips to follow when choosing the right background for an interesting photo.

Landscape of Gironde Estuary in Charente-Maritime in West of France.
Landscape of Gironde Estuary in Charente-Maritime in West of France.

Why Does Background Matter?

A photograph generally consists of several areas. It contains a foreground, a negative space, and a background. The background is present in most cases, except in very close-up shots.

In nature photography, particularly in wildlife or landscape photography, a background has an essential function: it highlights the points of interests in a photo.

How to Choose the Right Background

To capture the perfect background for a photograph, you must first define your scene. You must think in terms of composition, and immediately recognize your points of interests as well as the relationships you wish to establish between them.

Your perspective and choice of framing will allow you to create a beautiful background.

Read also: Why and How Framing Correctly.

Outlining Points of Interest Is Not Enough

Many beginner photographers mistakenly think that a strong presence of the points of interest is enough to create an interesting photo.

They believe that a beautiful animal or a behavioral scene is enough to attract attention. During my workshops, I often say that this will be true when someone photographs a flying saucer.

However, for now, a beautiful subject on a neglected background will cause the image to appear as a poorly planned picture. It will simply be uninteresting.

The following seven points detail simple techniques that you can use when obtaining a good background for your nature photographs.

Point 1: Avoid Unnecessary Details

A background should not have details that will unnecessarily catch the eye of the beholder.

A background merely needs to highlight important areas of interest by light contrast or by color contrast. Details are not needed.

A background should always be as simple as possible.

Consider the framing and point of view when you choose the background. I have described the important themes of framing and point of view in previous articles.

Read Also: Why and How Composing A Nature Photograph Well.

Point 2: Do Not Include Damaged Items

My best advice for you for choosing the right background in nature photography is to avoid including damaged or items of poor condition. You do not want to divert attention from the main subjects to a background containing unnecessary details.

The purpose of a background is to illuminate the central points of interest, not create additional distractions.

Point 3: Blurry or Sharp Background?

A background can be either blurry or sharp. As I described in another article, a blurred background is akin to the creative technique of bokeh.

Bokeh allows a viewer's attention to be focused on the photographic points of interest without diverting to the rest of the scene. The blur makes it possible to present stronger photos.

A clean background accentuates the grandeur of the scene. The viewer will not look at the background, but he will be attracted by the space.

A clear background allows the viewer to clear the space, helping the photo to “breath” through the points of interest.

Read Also: Why and How Creating a Bokeh in Nature Photography.

Point 4: Manage Well the Horizon

If the horizon is present in the background, you must make sure that it does not overlap with the heads of the living subjects in a scene. If this is the case, you should take a slightly lower-angle view so that the head is placed above the horizon.

In general, the head of a living being must be placed above the horizon. This highlights the figure and creates a sense of importance.

Point 5: Separate the Subject from the Background

The photographic points of interest must stand out from the background.

For example, the head of a deer or a bird should not be in a tree. It is better to place it in the sky. The more visible the photographic points of interest are, the more the viewer is attracted to them.

Again, do not hesitate to change your point of view.

Point 6: Avoid Exposing Background Areas

Areas in the background that are more exposed than the points of interests are a problem because the viewer's eye will be distracted. His attention will inevitably turn towards these lights. In this situation, you should change your framing or perspective.

This also applies to a background whose color is more garish than that of the points of interest. The eyes will be distracted by these areas.

In general, a background should be neutral in terms of lights and colors. It must not compete with the points of interest.

A background should not distract but should highlight the subjects.

Point 7: Change the Background Through Post-Processing

It is always possible to change the background of a scene through post-processing. I recommend that you take photos with the same lighting so that the general rendering of the mood is not altered.

For example, once you have chosen your hidden position for shooting wildlife, it is possible that the animal may not be present exactly where you want it within your frame. In this case, I advise you to take some photos before its appearance or expression changes, and then edit the position later against the background using post-processing software.

Finally

The purpose of a background in a photo is to highlight the points of interests in a scene.

I advise you to proceed by contrasting the lights and colors. Nevertheless, it is not enough to only contrast, you must be aware of superfluous details or overexposed areas, both of which can ruin a photo. They will capture the eye of the viewer. The choice of good framing and a good point of view are essential for choosing the right background.

Be humble, patient, constant, persevering, and persistent because the road to excellence is long.

Why and How Choosing a Good Point of View Is Important in Nature Photography

In the blog where I talked about framing in photography, I established that framing resulted from three actions:

  • Selecting and evenly distributing the elements of the photo seen through the viewfinder of the camera.
  • Eliminating all elements that the photographer does not want to have in the frame. All of these are said to be off the field.
  • Orienting the camera horizontally or vertically, depending on the format.

The logical sequel to choosing a good framing is choosing a point of view in relation to the subject of the photo, whether it is living or inanimate.

In wildlife photography, the view is best when it is at eye level.
In wildlife photography, the view is best when it is at eye level.

Selecting a Position Relative to the Elements of the Photo

Choosing a point of view from which to take a photograph is choosing where to stand in relation to different elements of the photo, which can be either primary or secondary.

The point of view is the place where the photographer stands in relation to the elements in his photo, and from which he chooses his framing.

The point of view chosen by the photographer will be transmitted to the viewer of the picture.

The point of view highlights the relationship between the photographer and the scene he is photographing. For example, a scene photographed from a short distance will express closeness to the elements of the photo. A scene photographed from further away will convey a sense of distance.

But selecting a point of view, for a photographer, is not only related to the distance from the elements of the photo. His height relative to them is also critical.

Choosing an unexpected point of view for a photo can give it lots of impact and surprise an audience. When preparing to take a picture, it is important for a photographer to move around the scene to determine the best point of view. The photographer must not stop with his first impression. He should take the time to find the right point of view.

Choosing a point of view can totally change the message of a photo. Just like the framing, the point of view will help to accentuate the nature of the message to be transmitted.

Impact of the Focal Length

The focal length of the lens has an important impact on the rendering of images. A short focal length (i.e. a wide-angle lens) will emphasize the depth of field. The elements of the photo will be distorted.

A long focal length (i.e. a telephoto lens) will deemphasize the point of view and the depth of the scene.

The Close-Up Wiew

A close-up point of view will express collaboration with or closeness to the elements of the photo. This is the case in macro photography, for example.

It is possible to use a wide-angle lens for this view but be careful of distorting the elements of the picture.

The close-up point of view closes the photograph by preventing the viewer’s glance from escaping. The photographer imposes the message he wants to convey in the photo on the viewer.

The Far-Off View

A far-away point of view is intended to show that the photographer is at a distance from the scene he is photographing. He wants the viewer to escape.

The View From Eye Level

Whether in wildlife photography or landscape photography, taking photographs at breast height (also called eye-level) means that the photographer is level with the subject.

In the case of wide landscapes, the distance may suggest that the photographer is at eye level when he is actually much lower than the subject. For example, this is the case when photographing mountains.

Taking pictures at eye level prevents distortion of the subjects.

The View From Ground Level

This is a interesting perspective on landscape, wildlife, or underwater photography. This original technique enables the photographer to balance a photograph better by providing a strong point of reference.

Photos taken from ground level are calm and relaxing.

The Low-Angle View

In this case, the photographer is higher than the scene he is photographing. The camera is facing down. The elements are dwarfed by the height of the photographer’s vantage point. They are distorted and seem crushed.

This view shows the fragility of the scenes photographed because the elements seem crushed and tiny.

Taking pictures from above enables the photographer to highlight the horizontal lines of flight and perspective. This is the case for example when photographing large underwater wrecks.

Horizontal surfaces are also emphasized.

In the view from above, the photographer seems to dominate the elements of the photo.

Photographs from the sky are characteristic of views from above. This is a creative and unusual technique. Such photographs are typically intended to show the topography as well as the placement of some of the elements of the photo in their surroundings.

The High-Angle View

In this case, the photographer sits lower than the subject. The camera is facing up. Rising lines of flight and perspective are accentuated.

The worm’s-eye view emphasizes the elements of the photo in their surroundings.

The horizontal planes are deemphasized. The subject is highlighted, but it is also distorted: the elements of the photo that are close to the lens seem to be larger than they really are.

Finally

For a photographer, the choice of a point of view is as important as that of the framing. This choice must be made according to the desired effect: the subjects can be flattened or deformed; perspectives can be accentuated. It requires thought to apply a creative effect to a photograph.

Be humble, patient, constant, persevering, and persistent because the road to excellence is long.

  1. The Different Photographic Ratios to Correctly Frame in Photography
  2. Why and How to Correctly Frame When Photographing
  3. Taking Pictures Is Always Telling your Truth
  4. Why are you taking pictures?

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