For the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of photographing the Wowtrucks Calendar: Canada’s Big Rig Calendar, an annual tribute to 13 Canadian professional drivers and the incredible trucks they drive.
And over those 20 years, I’ve learned a lot about photography.
Some lessons have been technical. Some have come from mistakes. And some have simply come from looking at an image afterward and asking myself:
Why doesn’t this photograph have the WOW I thought it would?
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is surprisingly simple:
Distance matters.
More specifically, the distance between your subject and your background can make an enormous difference in the strength of your photograph.
It Started With a Childhood Habit
When I was young and our family went on vacation, I remember a very common instruction from my parents.
If we came across something beautiful, interesting or important — a building, monument, statue or landmark — I’d hear:
“Hey Davey… go stand by it. We’ll take a picture!”
And so I would.
I’d walk right over and stand beside it.
After all, that made sense. If you wanted a photograph of Davey and the statue, you put Davey beside the statue!
Fast forward a few decades and apparently some childhood habits are hard to break.
When I first started photographing the Wowtrucks Calendar, I would scout locations looking for interesting backgrounds.
If I found a cool old building, I’d put the truck right by it.
Cool fence?
Put the truck right by it.
Interesting structure?
You guessed it. Put the truck right beside it!
People liked the photographs. They were good photographs.
But I would sometimes look at them afterward and think:
It’s okay…but it isn’t WOW.
Then I Started Creating Space
Over the years, experience — and hopefully a little accumulated wisdom — taught me something.
Separate the subject from the background.
When we put our subject too close to the background, the two can begin to visually blend together. Lines intersect. Shapes compete. Details become cluttered.
The background can actually start fighting with the subject for attention.
And the unfortunate result is that sometimes neither gets to shine.
But pull the subject away from that background and something begins to happen.
You create space.
And that space can create separation.
Suddenly the truck has room to stand on its own. Its shape becomes more defined. Your eye knows where to go.
At the same time, the background gets room to breathe as well. Instead of competing with the truck, it becomes part of the story.
The truck can shine.
The background can shine.
And together they can create something far stronger than either would have created competing for the same space.
The Same Principle Applies to Almost Anything You Photograph
You don’t have to photograph big rigs to put this into practice.
Think about your next portrait.
Instead of putting someone right against a brick wall, fence, tree or building, try moving them several feet — or even much farther — away from it.
Then look through your camera again.
Watch what happens to the separation between your subject and the background.
Depending on your lens, focal length and aperture, increasing that distance can also help soften the background, making your subject stand out even more.
Try it with people.
Try it with vehicles.
Try it with flowers.
Try it with pets.
Try it with products.
Before you take the photograph, simply ask yourself:
“What happens if I create more distance between my subject and the background?”
Sometimes moving your subject just a few feet can completely change the photograph.
See It in Action
I’ve put together a little sneak peek featuring just some of the trucks appearing in the 2027 Wowtrucks Calendar.
As you watch it, don’t just look at the trucks.
Look at the space around them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbNi4Rci0Ig
Notice the relationship between each truck and its environment. Look at how the truck is allowed to stand out while the background still plays an important role in telling the story.
Watch the 2027 Wowtrucks Calendar Sneak Peek video and see how subject-to-background separation is being used in the images.
It’s a simple concept.
But that’s one of the things I love most about photography.
Little Things Can Make a HUGE Difference
Becoming a better photographer isn’t always about buying another lens, upgrading your camera or learning some complicated new technique.
Sometimes it is about noticing the little things.
Move two steps to your left.
Get a little lower.
Wait for the light.
Change your angle.
Move your subject farther away from the background.
Little changes can make a huge difference.
And that is one of the reasons we believe so strongly in the in-person, hands-on photography workshops at Learn Photography Canada.
There is tremendous value in learning photography by actually doing it.
We can stand beside you, look through the scene together, move the subject, change the angle, adjust the camera and then compare the results.
Instead of simply telling you that distance matters, we can help you see why it matters.
Those little discoveries begin to accumulate.
And eventually you start seeing photographs differently before you ever press the shutter.
At Learn Photography Canada, our goal has always been to help people get their #BestStart in photography.
Because sometimes the difference between an okay photograph and a WOW photograph isn’t a new camera.
Sometimes you just need a little distance.
