Simplicity (photography)

An example of simplicity; focus is on the flowers, without any background clutter

Achieving Simplicity

An example of a starfish against a cluttered background

A starfish against a neutral background

There are several ways to achieve simplicity in a photograph. The most obvious (and easiest) form is to place the subject against a neutral background like a backdrop or the sky. Backgrounds can be entirely neutral, like a solid backdrop or a cloudless sky; or they can complement the image, like a starfish on the sand.

The more technical method of achieving simplicity involves focusing on the subject while ensuring the background is unfocused. Macro settings on digital cameras tend to do this automatically, as they have a narrow depth of field to begin with; the same effect can be achieved with manual adjustment. The picture taken to represent simplicity should have a clear reason that object was chosen. It should be clearly evident that that's the reason for taking the picture. All unrelated topics shouldn't be present. This relates to Shallow Depth of field as well, which blurs out the background and focuses on what is on the middle

Photography

Outline of photography

Terminology	35 mm equivalent focal length Angle of view Aperture Black-and-white Chromatic aberration Circle of confusion Color temperature Depth of field Depth of focus Exposure Exposure compensation Exposure value F-number Film format Film speed Focal length Guide number Hyperfocal distance Metering mode Perspective distortion Photograph Photographic printing Photographic processes Reciprocity Red-eye effect Science of photography Shutter speed Sync Zone system White balance

Genres	Aerial Architectural Commercial Conceptual Conservation Cloudscape Documentary Erotic Fashion Fine-art Fire Forensic Glamour High-speed Landscape Lomography Nature Nude Photojournalism Pornography Portrait Post-mortem Selfie Senior Social documentary Sports Still life Stock Street Vernacular Underwater Wedding Wildlife

Techniques	Afocal photography Bokeh Contre-jour Cyanotype Exposing to the right Fill flash Fireworks Harris shutter High-speed Holography Infrared Kirlian Kite aerial Long-exposure Macro Mordançage Multiple exposure Night Panning Panoramic Photogram Print toning Redscale Rephotography Rollout Scanography Sabatier effect Stereoscopy Stopping down Strip (Slit-scan) Sun printing Tilt–shift Time-lapse Ultraviolet Vignetting Xerography

Composition	Diagonal method Framing Geometry and symmetry Headroom Lead room Rule of thirds Simplicity

Equipment	Camera (light-field pinhole rangefinder SLR still TLR toy view) Darkroom (enlarger safelight) Film (base format holder stock) Filter Flash (beauty dish cucoloris gobo hot shoe grid monolight snoot Softbox umbrella wireless sync) Lens (Wide-angle lens Zoom lens Telephoto lens) Manufacturers Monopod Movie projector Slide projector Tripod (head) Zone plate

History	Timeline of photography technology Analog photography Autochrome Lumière Box camera Calotype Camera obscura Daguerreotype Dufaycolor Heliography Painted photography backdrops Photography and the law Visual arts

Digital photography	Digital camera (D-SLRs (comparison) MILC camera back) Digiscoping Digital versus film photography Film scanner Image sensor (CMOS APS CCD Three-CCD camera Foveon X3 sensor) Photo sharing Pixel

Color photography	Color Color film (print slide) Color management (color space primary color CMYK color model RGB color model)

Photographic processing	Bleach bypass C-41 process Cross processing Developer Digital image processing Dye coupler E-6 process Fixer Gelatin silver process Gum printing K-14 process Print permanence Push processing Stop bath

Lists	Most expensive photographs Photographers (Norwegian Polish street women)

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Simplicity (photography)