sidered when selecting a backdrop. For example, you will find that
cloud backgrounds work better with more elegant types of clothing
than backgrounds that have strong diagonal lines. Diagonal lines
work well with casual clothing. As you begin looking for the feeling
that the backgrounds convey, you will start to pick up on the ways
the various lines and textures alter the feeling of the background.
Keep in mind that you aren’t limited to using your backgrounds
in only one way. If you have strong vertical lines in a background,
for example, you can tilt your camera to make the lines more diag-
onal—and this will change the feeling of the background. If the
background has a great deal of texture but you need a softer feeling,
open up the lens and the background will soften to produce the look
you want.
When you go outdoors, it becomes much easier to read the feel-
ing a scene portrays. Coordinating the clothing and posing to the
scene to achieve an overall scene of style becomes easier. A typical
park or garden scene is a more casual setting, therefore more casual
clothing and posing is required. An outdoor setting with columns
and fountains is obviously more elegant and requires more elegant
clothing. To achieve a sense of style and to visually make sense, you
wouldn’t put a woman in an elegant dress in the middle of what
32 POSING FOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
When the background has a lot of detail, let-
ting it fall out of focus will help keep the atten-
tion on your subject.