Segregate to impress

Separating subject and ground can make photos more appealing, writes Salliza Salleh

JUST like painting, a photograph starts with a blank canvas. Then the photographer decides how to position the subject or the focus of interest to create a photo. According to the Gestalt theory on perception, a strong separation between the figure and the ground makes photos more appealing to the viewers’ eyes. The faster you can identify the ground and the figure, the stronger the composition will be.

Here are a few ideas on how to strengthen visual composition:

1. TONAL CONTRAST:

Keep your composition simple and focus on contrasting light and dark tones. Separate the figure from the background through the contrasting tone of either dark on light or light on dark.

In this photo of Orthodox Christian pilgrims of Lalibela, Ethiopia, the pilgrims are in white while the ground is the dark tone of the Saint George Church’s wall, and the light tone is the light from the door. The viewers’ eyes are directed to the lightest tone in this image.

2. COLOUR CONTRAST:

Our eyes are more sensitive to certain colours and the use of colour contrast helps in isolating a figure against the background.

In this photo of an Orthodox Christian pilgrim in Lalibela, Ethiopia, the warm colour of the man’s clothing and that of the floor carpet are contrasted against the dark-coloured wall, effectively highlighting the figure against the background.

3. SIZE CONTRAST:

Segregating a subject from its background by using contrasting size, such as a small subject against a larger background, can add interest to photos.

In this photo, a Sea Gypsy of Maiga Island in Semporna, Sabah looks small and isolated from the vast background. In this case, the viewers’ eyes will look forany differences within the frame and will stop at the girl.

4. AMBIGUITY:

Add ambiguity or mystery to your photograph by creating a subject (figure) and a background (ground) that have their own (different) interpretation or narrative.

This photo was taken from inside a hot air balloon. The bright and colourful wall and the cheerful silhouette image of my friends can be interpreted separately.

5. BEND THE RULES:

Try going against the rule, as rules are only guidelines. If the rule suggests that a strong figureground is when the subject and its background is clearly separated, then try going against it.

This photo was taken at Pasir Berbisik, Mt Bromo valley, in Indonesia. After a sandstorm, I was surrounded by fine sands with zero visibility. Curiosity made me click the camera and resulted in this moment of blurriness.