When is a cluttered background so distracting that it draws attention away from the primary subject? When I have the luxury of time, I will normally attempt to compose my shots so that the background fades into the background as a creamy blur. As a wildlife photographer, though, I am often photographing live subjects that are likely to flee as soon as they become aware of my presence. Frequently I barely have time to bring the camera up to my eye and am forced to react rapidly and instinctively—I just don’t have time to think about the background.
Yesterday as I was walking along the Mount Vernon Trail in Alexandria, Virginia parallel to the Potomac River, I spotted a bird at the very top of a distant tree. Earlier in the day I had seen an osprey in a similar position, so I initially assumed it was another osprey. I had just zoomed in on the bird when it exploded out of the tree into the air. From the way that it was flying, I realized that it was probably an eagle or a hawk. I tracked the bird, which I believe is a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) as it flew behind some trees and eventually into the clear blue skies.
Here are my three favorite shots of the encounter. Two of them are cluttered and one has a plain blue background. Which one do you like most? I am not bothered by the branches in the first two shots and like the way that they help to give a sense of context to the action that is depicted. The third shot shows some of the wonderful details of the beautiful hawk, but it seems a bit more sterile to me. (For the record, the first shot is probably my favorite of the three images.)
Are cluttered backgrounds ok? Like so many factors in photography, the correct response appears to be that it depends on the specific circumstances.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Hi Mike! Depends what criteria you’re using. I used to work as librarian for a commercial photo library where images were selected with the advertising market in mind. In this case its a no-brainer – the last one would be chosen as there’s lots of clear space around the hawk that can be used as the background for text or logos.
You’ve confirmed my “it depends” theory. As the photographer, it’s hard for me to look completely objectively at my own photos. My views are colored by the excitement of the moment as I was taking the shots.
Hahaha! Of course, and we all experience that! I love the stories behind shots so don’t hesitate to share your stories along with your photos! They’re like good hunting stories! All the best Mike and keep up the great work.
Re the other two images: I wasn’t responsible for image selection so sadly I’m no expert! But my understanding with bird images was that the eye needs to look sharp and I’m not sure it is in the top image – but I’m only using a small laptop so I might be complelely wrong about that! I like how you can see the hawk’s legs and talons clearly though. Its a shame how branches and leaves obscure one of the wings. I love the view of the full wingspan and the feathering in the middle image! Out of the top two images I think I’d go for the lower one that has the full wingspan 🙂
Thanks for the input. It’s a tough call. At long distance and with all of the branches, it was tough to get the image (and especially the eye) as sharp as I would have liked it. All of the images are compromises, in terms of composition and sharpness. We all hope for perfect images, but, alas, that rarely happens in real life.
Although not a photographer myself, having worked with them I really do appreciate what a lot of work it is to get a great shot. So much investment in constant learning, gear, patience, time, research. Many people have no idea why great shots are so valuable in $ terms!
I like the first two. It shows action the average person never sees! Great shots!
Thanks, Sally. You and a I are obviously thinking along the same lines as we look at the shots. Others have expressed a preference for the third shot. Variety is, as they say, the spice of life.
I like the first two. These guys are so adept at flying through the branches that I think it seems more like their home turf than the open skies.
I really like all three but the second is my favorite because the hawks face is so clear. I’d love to know more about your camera and led used and other specifics.
Thanks for providing some feedback. I shoot with a Canon 50D camera and for these shots used a Tamron 150-600mm telephoto zoom lens. The aperture was set at f/8 and the shutter speed was about 1/2500 second.
Wow! You really captured it.