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ABC SCHOOL PHOTO BLOG

5 Tips for Choosing Portrait Backgrounds

by | ABC School Photography Blog, School Photo Sessions

When it comes to backdrops in photographs, they are more important than you may think. Our highly skilled photographers at ABC School Photographers understand how the best backdrops in photos need to work well with the subject being photographed. To ensure that a backdrop is working well in a particular photo, you will want to ensure that it highlights and enhances the person’s features. Read on for five tips for choosing portrait backdrops.

Five Tips for Choosing Portrait Backgrounds

If you are shooting photographs outdoors in nature, the backdrop can easily be the location. This can be a curated location, like the beach, mountains, or garden. Different from when photographing indoors and needing a background for your portrait shots. We use a variety of different backdrops, depending on who they are shooting and what works best for each situation.

1. Begin with Your Purpose

First of all, you need to know and understand the purpose of the photos you will be taking. For example, if you are taking headshots of authors, you will want a neutral background, such as black, white, or even textured brown or tan.  When we are gearing up for a session at an area school, we offer different types of backgrounds that parents can choose from when picking out the photo packages for their children. We also suggest solid-colored backgrounds that add a pop of color but with shades that will not clash easily with other colors that students may be wearing for Picture Day. Just remember that you need to pay attention to color in each shot you take.

2. Consider Color and Lighting When Choosing Portrait Backgrounds

Color can significantly have an impact on various moods as well as the main color in the backdrop you will be using. For instance, white tends to be the most popular color when it comes to backdrops since it is clean and free of any distractions. It gives off a mood of bright and airy photos and will work well with whatever the subject of your photo is wearing. You will want to ensure that you have the proper lighting when shooting photos indoors so that the colors stand out in the way they’re supposed to. If you do not have natural light available in the location in which you will be shooting photos, you should definitely use studio lights to ensure that you have the proper lighting for each photo.

3. Avoid distracting images

There are many really cool backdrops available to choose from, but you should ensure that you are not using one that has too many distracting images within it. Simple is better when it comes to backdrops so that the person you are shooting stands out from the backdrop.

4. Test out your background with self-portraits

It is a great idea to test out your background by shooting some portraits of yourself to ensure that the backdrop is not clashing with anything. We at ABC School Photographers experiment beforehand to ensure that the backdrops chosen for each photo session are conducive to the subject we are photographing.

5. Trust post-processing

In the post-processing phase, the highly skilled and trained staff at ABC School Photographers add photo retouching to ensure that the product received by parents, friends, and other family members of their school children is high quality and gorgeous.

Contact Us

For high-quality, beautiful school photographs in the New York area, contact the photo professionals at ABC School Photographers today!

Boasting more than 35 years of expertise in New York and New Jersey, ABC School Photographers is renowned for transforming school moments into cherished memories. Our Complete Mobile Photography Studio comes to you, featuring the latest in photographic technology, right at your school's doorstep.

Our dedicated professional team ensures that school photo days are not just about taking pictures, but about creating a memorable, hassle-free experience.

Choose ABC School Photographers for portraits that are not just pictures, but timeless treasures of your school years!

Call Now:  (718) 356-0232

Plan Your Perfect Picture Day with ABC

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