Get a Background Check!

Since when did taking pictures require you to get a background check? Lately, one thing I'm reminding myself to do more and more is to make sure that the background interacts with or tells the same story as the subject. The background brings out an identity of who or what you are looking at. Identities are relatable, therefore the closer this connection is, the stronger your photo.

We understand that it is best NOT to take a family vacation photo infront of a trash dump, or that the guy behind your posed professional is NOT picking his nose! Unless you meant it that way for some kind of wierd artistic irony, the photograph's emotional value will depreciate!

In the first photo (left), this man was looking for new pictures to put on his Chicago-based urban ministry website. After several backgrounds for his urban style headshots and poses, we felt this is an accurate fit to his vision and has received lots of positive feedback on his Facebook page- I think because people can recognize it as his personal identity and say "Oh yeah, that's our guy!".

The dipping bride and groom on the right are center stage with a crowd of spectators gazing at their every turn. It celebrates an event identity in this couple's beautiful process of coming together.

Moral of the story, avoid photographic 'sitations' and may your background checks always come out 'clean'!