After choosing the lighting for your studio, the next most important step is to choose the background. The majority of people picture a roll of seamless backdrop paper as their studio background, but there are many more options out there. So many that there’s no way you’ll be able to use all of them. Still, it’s a good idea to be aware of the basic background options available to you.

Backgrounds are a very important element for photography. You can use them to fundamentally impact a photo’s style and atmosphere. But many portrait photographers only focus on the foreground—their model. And that’s a shame! Don’t be afraid to experiment, to try to connect the model with their background, or to do the opposite and produce contrasts. You’ll see that it pays to be creative. Take inspiration from our article!

We’d all like to think of backgrounds as simply not an issue—when we think of them at all. But in reality, backgrounds can have a lot of clutter, especially in urban photography. Meanwhile, there are several ways to look at this issue.

You’ll enhance a photo’s composition whenever you make sure to fill up its frame with your subject. To do this every time, sometimes you’ll need to use a zoom or a long lens, and sometimes you’ll need to step closer, but your pictures will speak more strongly, and your audience will know what they’re looking at.

The foundation of any good photo is composition. Use solid colors and surfaces to rid your photos of everything that doesn’t belong, everything that might distract your audience’s attention. Bring life to your pictures—and don’t underestimate the details. Read on for some tips on how to add life to your pictures. As well as what mistakes to avoid.

There are many ways to approach photography. When something catches a beginner’s eye, they just point, and click. (What innocent bliss!) With experience, photographers start thinking about subject placement and the Golden Ratio. But have you ever thought about taking composition to the extreme, for example by shrinking the main subject until it’s almost invisible, or by practically eliminating the background? That’s minimalism. What do you get after that? Well, if you want to take a break from the sea of Christmas ornaments around you, read on.