Backgrounds

I decided to focus on how to get better backgrounds in photos. I feel that backgrounds can really make or break a photo. I found this great article about how to capture better backgrounds here http://digital-photography-school.com/getting-backgrounds-right/

Some basic ideas of getting better backgrounds are:
1) Look at the background before you even take the picture. It seems simple but you really need to look at the whole picture before taking it to see if there are any disturbances behind your subject.
2) You can use your camera's settings to create a blurred background which will help focus on your subject instead of anything behind it.
3) If you have a photo that has problems in the background, you may be able to use a photo editing program to fix the issue after. I did this with a photo I took of a horse because there was a branch in the way.

4) You may need to change how you are taking the picture if there is something in the background. You could try changing the angle of the camera, moving your subject, or filling the frame with more of your subject. 

5) Use a background that is off in the distance rather than closer if you want to keep the focus on your subject.

I also found this article to be useful in looking for things to avoid http://www.beyondmegapixels.com/2012/05/composition-background/

Some things to be careful about in the background:
1) Items looking as though they are coming out of your subject (like a tree growing from a head).
2) Making sure that the background doesn't clash with the feel of your photo. If you are trying to take photos of a rustic themed wedding, you wouldn't want to take a picture with the DJ stand in the background.
3) Make sure there are not busy distractions in the background. I love this photo of my son and his friend holding hands at their preschool graduation but the ball and toy kitchen in the back really are ugly in the photo.

I think the biggest key is to really look at the whole picture (great words to consider with anything) and if there are distractions, try to eliminate them. Sometimes we don't have the option of eliminating the distractions and hopefully we can learn more about photo editing to help correct those issues.