Although we think a lot about a photo’s subject and its sharpness, what’s happening elsewhere in the photo is critical to its success. During the very first lesson of the photography courses I teach, I stress to my clients the importance of looking at what is happening in the foreground and the background. That is paramount to the photo’s success. It is so easy for us to become fixated on the subject that we can overlook the critical elements in front of, behind, and around the edge of the frame. Furthermore, many DSLRs have small, poor-quality viewfinders that make it difficult to see everything in the frame. However, it isn’t just the inclusion or placement of secondary objects in the photo that affects the image’s appeal. The picture’s background quality matters too. Occluding Objects A basic mistake that many novice photographers make is taking a photo of someone with, say, a lamppost growing out of them. I should add that it is not an issue limited to beginners.…