The Magic of Backgrounds in Portraits by Sarah
Let’s take a minute to explore the anatomy of a portrait – or a painting of a portrait. Each has a subject (usually a person or persons) and then a background. The background is the ‘other’ part of the picture. Undoubtedly, the person or people in the artwork is the most important part of the image.
But the BACKGROUND (“BG”) is almost as important! We’ve all seen photos of friends or family, where the subject looks just wonderful, but the BG is uncomplimentary (or horrendous), and really makes the photograph unappealing.
When taking a picture with our cellphones of our friends or family, we often just point the phone directly toward the subject and snap the subject. We don’t often look at the lighting, OR what might be surrounding the subject which might be objective in when viewing it later. Our phones are quite sophisticated now, and almost always get the correct LIGHTING. This revolutionary technology is marvelous! However, it does not change the surrounding or BG paraphernalia in the image! That’s your job!
Now, when working with my customers, I obsess with backgrounds! I consider the BG to be just as important as my subject. What’s behind or around them, can make my customer look calmer, sharper, and if nothing else, well planned, and more pleasant. OR the opposite – if it was not planned well. The BG should be nothing too showy, just a simple meadow, or a few trees, or lots of trees in the woods, a simple made-up elegant interior, a fantasy image, a symmetric design, simple texture or clouds, or whatever I dream up. But it should not overshadow the faces and clothing of the people being photographed. It’s just there to support the subjects.
When I began in the business, many years ago, like all photographers in the 80’s, I used a plain piece of large seamless paper backdrops on a roll behind my people. Easy. Inexpensive. Lots of colors from which to choose ……BUT, often BORING! Sure, there are times when a plain solid colored background is okay. It’s a whimsical look. But most the time, I love to have a setting. So at that time, I began purchasing BGs of all kinds of settings from a wonderful and famous backdrop store in Rhode Island. All photographers know about it around the country! Hundreds of phenomenal background settings from which to choose, in any size. I have about 15 of them. But after a while I noted that still, nearly all my customers had similar (or sometime exactly the same) scenes behind them. So in my studio, I added tables, flowers, fancy chairs, or other items to make their background a little different. It was quite time consuming, but did come out well. Sometimes I added items by painting it into the background – on my computer. They came out just fine… AND personal!
And in my final chapter, beginning about 4 or 5 years ago, I decided to photograph my customers on a large totally gray background, (paper or fabric), and I ‘cut out’ my subjects. In Photoshop. I cut them out pixel by pixel, so it’s perfect. At that point, I only have the person/ or people on my computer in front of me – with nothing else. Sounds a little weird or complicated, but it is not difficult. I then sit at my desk (sometimes for an hour!), before I have my plan. I then begin to sketch or paint what I have envisioned. Finally I get an image in my mind of what would look best there. It just happens. A new, never seen before throughout history, customized background! I work at it until it is perfect!! Generally I design several BGs, within a couple of weeks, all different, so that they have some choices when I present them the pictures. Some ornate, some with with scenery, furniture, or something else. Or something simple, like a textured BG. Often the customers say, ‘Where did you get THIS background”? I tell them, “It is personalized for YOU, and you will never see it anywhere else in your lifetime.
Now this is the way I do ALL of my backgrounds. The final image is so much more interesting, and supportive of the subject. And I have won awards with many of my photos. I will post some examples here, and you will see the ‘before and afters’. More fun for me, and certainly more specialized, interesting, and appropriate for them!