Simplify your photos. The elements that you should include or not include at all in your photos. In the last two issues of the Art of Photography, EOS users and other photo enthusiasts alike were shown how to tackle the first two essential questions, of selecting the appropriate themes as well as how to focus attention on the subject to create better pictures. In this issue, the focus is on the third essential question of "Keep It Simple". As shown in issue No.9 on composition and framing, these three questions are part of the fundamentals in composing your pictures. One of the most obvious signs of guessing a picture that is shot by a beginner or amateur photographer rather than by a working professional photographer is the amount of distraction elements that divert attention away from the main subject. Distracting elements can spoil an otherwise good subject matter in your pictures. Your shots may have all the necessary ingredients needed for a truly excellent picture; the main subject in the process of doing something, selective focus, 45° side lighting, etc. But wait! Something in the background had spoiled the overall result because you failed to notice the annoying pole located behind your subject. In your picture, the pole looked as if it had grown out of your subject's head, which automatically marred what could have been a perfect picture. Simplifying the elements in your pictures is more than just making sure all the distractions are excluded from them. While perfect picture snapping rules focus on of having photographs to be simple as possible, there are times when certain elements are necessary. In some cases, your pictures need to tell the viewer where they were shot so make sure that not every picture has been simplified to the point of neglecting to inform the viewer of its location. And then, there are also cases like which exactly is the main subject in a particular picture. This is because the wrong angle or composition involved in capturing your subject can sometimes end with your pictures having the other elements being confused as the main items while the original has become the supporting element instead. << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 .