How can I make a street subject stand out more in a photo?
Asked 5/17/2011
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I found an interesting advertisement/post on a city street, but my photo feels flat and uninteresting even though the subject itself caught my eye. In my shot, the background competes with the subject and everything appears equally sharp and important. What compositional or shooting changes can help turn an interesting street object into a more compelling photograph?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
28
You've identified your subject, the tricky part is expressing what you want to say to others in a single picture. What is it you want to say?
In your example photo, everything is in focus, there is little contrast between the post and background, and everything has vertical lines. How is the viewer meant to know what parts of the photo are important? What is it you want to show people?
The pole decoration incorporated into the banner? http://www.flickr.com/photos/mochiland/205416509/lightbox/
The pole in its environment? http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhirlimann/4375549238/lightbox/
Something a little more 'dynamic'? http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/2773153913/lightbox/
There's a ton of information about 'composition' on the web just waiting to be Googled. Some of it good, a lot of it so-so. Take it all as suggestion, rather than set-in-stone rules - as you develop as a photographer, you'll find your own way to do things.
Study photos you like (your own and other people's) - work out what it is you like about it and how it was done. Shoot as much/often as you can - to improve you need practice, practice, practice.
For starters though, direct people to what they should be looking at. (The links below are just extrem'ish examples grabbed from a quick Flickr search.)
Try separating your subject from the background (differences in colour, brightness, focus). http://www.flickr.com/photos/southen/5610096056/lightbox/
Draw attention to your subject - contrast between subject and background, lines pointing to the subject. Have a path for the eye to follow to the subject. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mecan/81470204/lightbox/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparth/5730541580/lightbox/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/smash13/5713904476/lightbox/
Is size important? Give a sense of scale by including something that people know the size of (eg a person, car, or building). http://www.flickr.com/photos/gabricabri/5713429646/lightbox/
Is the subject of out place? Show how it is different from others (eg a giraffe pole peeking out of a row of normal light poles, or the giraffe pole 'eating' a tree).
Before raising the camera to your eye, compose the photo in your mind. Know what it is you want to capture, then position yourself and make the photo.
Originally by user5177. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user5177
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Start by deciding what the photo is really about. If the subject is the pole, banner, or its relationship to the street, compose to make that clear.
In your example, the main issue is that the background competes too strongly, so the viewer’s attention isn’t directed well. Try changing your position first: move across or along the street, or shoot from the pole’s side, to place the subject against a simpler or more interesting background.
Two useful approaches:
- Get close and shoot upward with a wider lens to emphasize the pole’s height and reduce the apparent size of the background.
- Or back up and reframe if that gives you cleaner separation and a stronger composition.
Also look for ways to isolate the subject: use distance to push the background farther away, and if possible blur it more so the subject stands out. Watch the lines and shapes in the frame—if everything is vertical and similarly detailed, the image can feel static.
The key idea is composition: simplify the frame, control the background, and make it obvious what the viewer should notice first.
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