In the previous post, I stated my belief that compositional dynamics in the image frame make great pictures, not the objective, or literal content of what is shown.
I want to post an example of the difference that background or non-foreground content plays in a composition. Because my pictures are composites, I can swap out a background to show you how this alters the interaction of the foreground content.
So, first, here is one of my bird groups as I made it:
When I make one of these, I start with the background. Then I choose one or two rocks that ’suit’ that background. Last, I choose birds that suit the rocks and the sky. In this case, the fairly dramatic colors of the clouds and the strong diagonal (lower left to upper right) configuration made me choose the particular type of (bigger, heavier) birds with a rising line that matched the clouds, but circling down to the female cardinal and then back to the red male in a circular track.
Below, I have swapped out my chosen sky for one of similar color but very different dynamics. Consider how this affects or interacts with the type, style and arrangement of the birds.
In both the Winter Birds and the Summer Birds series, I have massive areas of out-of-focus background. Those backgrounds were very carefully made with color, form and texture of the out-of-focus stuff being deliberately created to be as you see them. (And they are quite hard to make.)
