There are several different strategies for isolating a subject: distance, camera angle, light, f/stop and shutterspeed combination, background, and other factors will all play a part. The bottom line is to simplify the picture so that the subject stands out clearly from other elements that may be in the scene, and, especially, the frame.

In the book, The Art of Photographing Nature by editor Martha Hill and photographs by Art Wolfe, are the steps to achieving isolation within your photographs clearly written down for you. These tips would include:

(1) Deciding what to photograph- Do not just photograph something that you have no interest in, find something that pleases you and compels you to photograph... most of the time your best work comes from the subjects you admire the most.

(2) Making the subject stand out- Finding the subject may be easy, but making it the vital point in the photograph is harder than it seems. The text states that our first impulse "is to point the camera, center the subject, and shoot the picture (8)." Going back to the photo will then bring on disappoitment and maybe ask ourselves, "Why did I take this picture?"

(3) Simplicity- "The clearest way to make a statement (8)." Be bold and upfront about what it is you're trying to communicate. Too many times there are underlining meanings that many people will not see because so much going on in them visually.

(4) Asking questions- Not the literal questions you'd ask a teacher or friend, but the ones inside your head. You see a subject- something of interest - the creative decisions take over: Where do I stand? How long a focal length lens do I want? How large do I want the subject to be in the frame? Where is the light coming from? What is in the background? What is in the foreground?

_{*please note that to every 'rule' the opposite can also work in situations... you have to find what best works in the situation handed to you}

Stronger compositons come from taking the step of isolating the subject. In addition, isolating emotional responses can take time and practice, yet is a vital an important step for an artist. "If you can analyze why you feel drawn to make the picture, and work to express the feeling clearly, chances are someone looking at it will also respond with more than passing interest (8)."

Examples of 'Isolating the subject' here on dA:

^{deviants featured- ~ssp-xt | =Northline | ~MechanicalLazarus}

^{deviants featured- =Alteru | ~Esmaice | *anjelicek}

^{deviants featured- *thepailleur | ~amandarandolph | =cfoto}

^{deviants featured- ~thienlai | ~velvetXskies | ~newspin}

^{deviants featured- ~tommyka | =IpNextGen | ~nickmid23}

^{deviants featured- =pgraves | ~RobbyP | *HappyMartin}

^{deviants featured- =PomadMan | =Davou | =onenutshort}

^{deviants featured- ~vuda | ~loveisforgirls | ~xxbrokenOne}

Community Project!

Go to a location you'd like to explore photographically. Nature lovers might choose a park or wilderness preserve, social observers might head to a parade or sporting event. In either case the task is to practice isolating the subject so that it is clear to the viewer as to what your photograph depicts. The only rule is to make engaging images. Strategy will vary depending on the circumstances.

Remember that foucsing in one task; compsoing is another. Amateurs don't make this dinstiction, experienced photographers do. If you have to take it slow at first, to the extent that your focus, bring the camera down from your eye, and then look again and recompose, so be it. Eventually you'll combine those two actions int oone smooth intellectual move.

Suggestion: You submissions will be much better if you show your contact sheets to another photographer )or even two or three) before you print. It's a well-known fact that photographers are not necessarily the best editors of their own work-- they're too close to the shooting experience, and may be influenced by things irrelevant to the actual pictures produced.

If you do take the advice and actually go out and shoot for this project, send me a note and I will be featuring them in my journal!

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Hill, Martha. Photographs by Art Wolfe. The Art of Photographing Nature. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1993.
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