I photographed this adorable dog on a street in Havana, Cuba. My question is, Is the background distracting? In the context of fine art, I would say that the colors and shapes behind the dog are less than ideal even though they are out of focus. They aren't terrible, but definitely not ideal. However, I look at this as more of a photojournalistic image. Street photography really has to be assessed with a different mind set, and in showing a bit of the environment in the street, we get a sense of place. Therefore, in this situation I wouldn't change anything.
6 Comments
Jun 26, 2016, 9:11:55 PM
Jim - Thanks very much, Sylvia. This little dog certainly put a smile on all the people in my group.
Jun 26, 2016, 9:26:03 AM
Sylvia - What a great find Jim, adorable!
Jun 25, 2016, 8:15:51 PM
Jim - Thanks, Janie.
Thanks for your input, Rob. I agree with you.
Jun 25, 2016, 10:46:29 AM
Rob Smith - Hi Jim! First of all great image! The dog "is" funny...I agree with you - and I think what makes the background distracting is that it would look better having more of the festive coloured background (the upper part of the background) and less of the grey street...Having those two different backgrounds (one grey, one coloured) makes for distraction for me...Thanks for the question!
Jun 25, 2016, 9:59:30 AM
Nancy Bell - This is so darn cute and creative! You are totally right about the difference between a fine art image and a street image. Without context the dog would seem a bit weird and the viewer would wonder what it was all about. Thanks for the thoughtful lesson in one image!
Jun 25, 2016, 9:25:18 AM
Janie Greene - Hey Jim,
Somebody had a huge imagination to create such an outfit for this dog!!! I think the background looks fine...The dog is such a huge subject, I don't think anyone would notice much of any background you would choose...Thanks so much for sharing...Janie Greene