FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHY and the problem of bad backgrounds
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ne of the major highlights of a photography tour, foreign or domestic, is a festival. Whenever possible, I include them in my itineraries for the tours I lead. Wild costumes, great color, and dancers make amazing photographic material. The problem, though, is too often the backgrounds are distracting and unattractive. An otherwise great picture is ruined by unappealing elements behind the subject. A good example can be seen in the image below. I took this during a Chrismtas parade (I know -- a little strange for Christmas) in Puer-
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to Rico. Obviously, the background ruins the picture. Even though the wild outfit of the subject dominates the composition, the tourists in the background and the markings on the road, plus the distant float, divert our eyes from the subject. It was not possible to blur the background more than I did because I couldn’t have used a longer lens. I took this shot at f/8, and even had I opened the lens one or two f/stops, that wouldn’t have obscured the distracting elements enough to make this work. Compare this photo with the composite on the next page. All the problems have been solved
