It takes the meeting of several factors to create a good photo, and the absence or poor execution of any one of them can often derail the entire image. Some of these factors are obvious, but some can sneak up on us, often not noticed until we are back at home to examine our shots on our computers. This great video essay discusses one of the tricker factors and what you can do to get it right.
Coming to you from aows, this awesome video essay discusses the importance of distractions in compositions and why it is so crucial to be on the lookout for them. Almost all of us have had the experience of coming home, thinking we got a fantastic shot, only to pull it up on the computer and see something majorly distracting that we did not even notice when we were behind the camera. This is because we tend to get a bit of tunnel vision around our subject, and in our desire to get that just right, we overlook things that detract from the overall impact of the frame. As the video notes, the things you exclude from your composition are just as important (sometimes, even more) as those you include. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
Thumbnail is a character from the Knights of Ni lol
A snapshooter or hobbyist looks at his/her subject when taking photos. A master or professional looks at everything else in the frame. "Subject fixation" is the term that I have heard one workshop leader use. And I agree that any distractions - anything that is aesthetically incongruous with the overall composition - will completely ruin a photo.
More often than not I look at fstoppers in public spaces where I can't play a video and listen with the volume up. Is it that difficult to write an article, inserting the images along the way?
While I do agree with your statement, Fstoppers has an entire section dedicated to original articles right here: https://fstoppers.com/originals
Easier to ramble on into the camera than to write a cogent sentence
Most visiting judges at my local camera club now looking at a picture refer their remarks to the 'author' of the picture and pointedly avoid the use of the word 'photographer'.
It's been known for winning pictures to be of buildings from one part of the UK, background from another, lake from yet another and you sometimes spot the model if one's included in quite different locations but in the exact same pose.
The reverse is true for distractions, they simply disappear in post processing.
In fact if you don't want to make the cut for a placing all you have to do is put an unedited photograph in.
What kills good photos is ugly subjects