[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-129816-en":3,"doc-seo-129816-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":92},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":20,"is_downloadable":20,"audit_status":20,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":27,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},129816,962085564381,"Clementine","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8",10,"Lifestyle","Photo Insights - July 2026 - Composition Tip","Photo Insights focuses on practical photography composition, emphasizing how backgrounds shape viewer attention and image success. It explains the tradeoffs between aperture choices such as f/8 and f/32, showing how depth of field and sharpness affect subjects versus backgrounds. The issue highlights common background flaws, including distracting graphic lines and unwanted elements like light dead trees or branches, and provides guidance for mitigation using techniques such as cloning and Generative Fill when needed.","Photo toursVStudent showcase Ask Jim  \nSubject index  \nJim Zuckerman’s  \nPH OT O INSI GHTS  \nJuly 2026  \nComposition Tip Problem Solving Generative Fill Photo Tours Photography quiz Ask Jim  \nStudent Showcase The Story Behind the Picture Back issues  \nTable of Contents  \n4. Composition Tip  \n8. Problem Solving  \n10. Something Fun To Try  \n16. Photography quiz  \n18. Jim’s eBooks  \n21. What's wrong with this picture?  \n24. Short and Sweet  \n26. Ask Jim  \n27. Photography tours  \n29. Student Showcase  \n34. The story behind the picture  \n36. Past issues  \n44. Subject index  \nOn the cover: Jim's wife, Indiana, modeling the 'flying dress' in Dubai. On this page: Two cock of the rock birds in Peru.  \nYou may download this issue HERE.  \nWhenforthattheI suggmaximsmallimageestumapetodrtclepuriteentsh ofs cainfieusemlddiy tours a, most offfractionndthwwoe tihicrkmh, seihsnootpsmurtenoo, usene iwilla smallnevitablreducelyterhneesmqaiupnaerdslitturmy oeef  \nThese clients go on to suggest an aperture like f/8 is sharper.  \nWhile that's true (f/8 is referred to as the 'sweet spot' of lenses), it doesn't have nearly as much depth of field compared to f/32 . So, what to do?  \nIf you compare the background in two images, one taken at f/8 and the other one at f/32, the smaller aperture obviously provides more definition, more depth of field, i.e., a sharper background.  \nOn the other hand, if you compare the subject in the two pictures with all other things being equal, an f/8 aperture renders the subject with greater sharpness than f/32. It's not a big difference, but you can definitely see it. Depending on the focal distance, f/8 will most likely render the background blurred with little to no definition at all.  \nSo, it's a tradeoff. If you want the background behind a subject to be sharply defined so we can appreciate what it is, don't complain about the slight loss of sharpness on the subject. The only way you can have both be as sharp as possible is to do focus stacking with an f/8 aperture. That works, but it's impractical for most photographic situations. Photography is all about compromise. Lenses simply have limitations.  \nJim Zuckerman  \n[photos@jimzuckerman.com](photos@jimzuckerman.com)  \n[www.jimzuckerman.com](www.jimzuckerman.com)  \no m p o s i i o n  \nTIP  \noackgrounds are just as important as subjects in making a picture work. If  \nBbacing,kgroundsoverexpoaresed, ttoooo busyblurr,eddistroracnto-t  \nblurred enough, the photo will most likely be less than ideal . . . or a downright failure.  \nOne of the easily identifiable flaws seen in backgrounds is bold graphic lines that are not part of the subject. Most of the time, these lines are very distracting and they draw our attention away from the subject. This is the last thing you want.  \nFor example, in the picture of the cheetah, below, the horizontal horizon line is sharply defined. Even though it is out of focus, the line isnot part of the subject and therefore distracting. In fact, when you look at this shot, your attention is dragged away from the face of the cat to the horizon line. That's not how a successful image is supposed to work.  \nBy comparison, I photographed the cheetah on the next page against a monochromatic sky devoid of distracting graphic lines. The differ-  \nence is huge.  \nThe rule is: Don't include elements that have strong graphic lines behind a subject when those lines are not part of the subject.  \nI know it's not possible sometimes to avoid unwanted graphic lines. In those instances, Photoshop is needed to replace or repair the unwanted background elements. Of course, there are times when this isn't easily done.  \nOn the next page, I photographed a tribal woman in India with a similar issue. Out of focus people behind her were much darker than the sky, thus the demarcation line between those two areas created a distracting graphic line. In the comparison picture, I replaced the background with a dark and muted  \nout of focus image. Now our entire attentio","cbCaid4FB43gPAcS","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaid4FB43gPAcS","pdf",81646414,1,51,"English","en",105,"# Composition Tip\n## Depth of field tradeoff: f/8 vs f/32\n## Avoid distracting graphic lines in backgrounds\n## When to use Photoshop, cloning, or Generative Fill","[{\"question\":\"Why are backgrounds as important as subjects in photography?\",\"answer\":\"Backgrounds guide attention and support the subject. If they are overexposed, overly busy, blurred, or contain strong graphic lines, the image can become distracting or fail.\"},{\"question\":\"How does aperture affect subject sharpness versus background sharpness?\",\"answer\":\"A smaller aperture like f/32 increases depth of field, giving more definition to the background. Even with the same conditions, f/8 can render the subject with greater sharpness, but with less depth of field in the background.\"},{\"question\":\"What should you do when the background contains distracting graphic lines or unwanted elements?\",\"answer\":\"Avoid including strong graphic lines behind the subject when they are not part of the subject. When it cannot be avoided, use tools like Photoshop—such as cloning out elements or using Generative Fill to replace or repair the background.\"}]","Photo Insights - July 2026 - Composition Tip | PDF",1786108802,79,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":87,"head_meta":89,"extra_data":91,"updated_unix":28},"photo-insights-july-2026-composition-tip","",{"@graph":36,"@context":86},[37,54,69],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,48,51],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":47},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":50},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/lifestyle/",3,{"item":52,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":53},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/photo-insights-july-2026-composition-tip/129816/",4,{"url":52,"name":13,"@type":55,"author":56,"headline":13,"publisher":58,"fileFormat":61,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":62,"datePublished":63,"encodingFormat":61,"isAccessibleForFree":64,"interactionStatistic":65},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":57},"Person",{"url":41,"name":59,"@type":60},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-08-23","2026-08-07",true,{"@type":66,"interactionType":67,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":68},"ViewAction",{"@type":70,"mainEntity":71},"FAQPage",[72,78,82],{"name":73,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":75},"Why are backgrounds as important as subjects in photography?","Question",{"text":76,"@type":77},"Backgrounds guide attention and support the subject. If they are overexposed, overly busy, blurred, or contain strong graphic lines, the image can become distracting or fail.","Answer",{"name":79,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":80},"How does aperture affect subject sharpness versus background sharpness?",{"text":81,"@type":77},"A smaller aperture like f/32 increases depth of field, giving more definition to the background. Even with the same conditions, f/8 can render the subject with greater sharpness, but with less depth of field in the background.",{"name":83,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":84},"What should you do when the background contains distracting graphic lines or unwanted elements?",{"text":85,"@type":77},"Avoid including strong graphic lines behind the subject when they are not part of the subject. When it cannot be avoided, use tools like Photoshop—such as cloning out elements or using Generative Fill to replace or repair the background.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":52,"og:type":88,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":59,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":90,"canonical":52},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":24},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":93},[94,98,102,106,111,116,121,126,131,134,136],{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":47,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":99,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":101},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":53,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":113,"show_sort_weight":114,"slug":115},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":118,"show_sort_weight":119,"slug":120},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":122,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":123,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":125},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":129,"slug":130},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":129,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":132,"show_sort_weight":129,"slug":133},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":135},"lifestyle",{"id":137,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":138,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":139},19,"General","general"]