A post from fdeak prompted me to ask this question. I enjoy taking pictures at group activities. If I have the time and cooperation from the subjects to set up the picture, I generally can handle the need to separate the subject from the background. However at other events like a pow wow where so much is going on, I'm not satisfied with my results. Can anyone advise or help. Attached is the picture that is really giving me an ulcer. I really want the person to stand out. His costume just is lost in the similar background of the other dancers. The shot was taken with a 300m, f4.5, 1/250secs and at a distance. Is countless hours of stamping and replacement of the background the only answer? Thanks.

Leon,
Pow wows are always tough to shoot because of the busy back grounds, and in so many cases the spectators behind the subjects are an unwanted addition to the shots.
The best in-camera solution is the trade-off between focal length and lens speed, unless you have access to high-speed telephotos that you can shoot wide open.
A lens shorter than your 300 but faster will let you minimize your depth of field, but then your subjects will not fill the frame as well.
Of course you can also try to get permission to walk out into the dance area, where you can use a shorter, faster lens and get frame-filling shots with minimum depth of field.

I used the best lens for the job I could have for what I have. Sure a 300m 2.8 would have been better, but if I could afford one, I'd spend the money on a new car. Since have shot pow wows, you know that you have only seconds to shot inbetween other dancers. Mostly you get photo boomed from the front side or lose the front facing shot.

Another trick is to use long shutter speeds and pan the dancers as they go by, which will blur the background, and everyone will applaud your arty approach to the subject matter.

Same problem.

Or, shoot tight/crop tight on subjects to eliminate as much of the back ground as you can.
What I've suggested are all before the fact remedies. As for the existing shot, you'll need advice from the Photoshop Expert Crowd, and I'm not one of them.

Seems like the solution is in the post processing. Thanks for the response.

Robert

Leon,
Pow wows are always tough to shoot because of the busy back grounds, and in so many cases the spectators behind the subjects are an unwanted addition to the shots.
The best in-camera solution is the trade-off between focal length and lens speed, unless you have access to high-speed telephotos that you can shoot wide open.
A lens shorter than your 300 but faster will let you minimize your depth of field, but then your subjects will not fill the frame as well.
Of course you can also try to get permission to walk out into the dance area, where you can use a shorter, faster lens and get frame-filling shots with minimum depth of field.
Another trick is to use long shutter speeds and pan the dancers as they go by, which will blur the background, and everyone will applaud your arty approach to the subject matter.
Or, shoot tight/crop tight on subjects to eliminate as much of the back ground as you can.
What I've suggested are all before the fact remedies. As for the existing shot, you'll need advice from the Photoshop Expert Crowd, and I'm not one of them.
Robert

In the Develop Modulem choose the brush (the rightmost icon on the toolbar immediately under the Histogram.
Set the bush size at something like 8, Feather at 100, flow 100, Automask On, Density 100

Set Exposure at -10.

Click onto the image (not on the subject) and start brushing the exposure down. the brush will miss some parts, don't worry about those at the moment. Your curser is a double ring, the outer is the feather and the inner is the solid area. As Auto mask is switched on, you can take the outer ring over parts of the image you don't want to alter. The auto mask looks at the contrasting colours and sets itself barriers.

Turn off Automask and go over the bits missed, this time there is no protection so if you venture over the image, either use Control + Z to undo the last stroke or click onto the erase button and brush out the error.

When you are finished, do not click Done at this stage. Move the Exposure slider back to zero and move the Saturation slider to -100. now combine sliders to get different effects.

Complete tutorial on using the brush can be found here:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-239287-1.html

I've tried these methods, but because of the non stop action there isn't much time for set up shots. You can't walk onto the arena grounds because prior to the pow wow, the ground is blessed by the elders and doing so will get you escorted out of town. To them a real insult. Since you have to photograph from a distance a 50m won't work. Maybe post processing is the only answer. During the shoot, you have to be fast because if not, you will be photo bombed from all four sides and lose the head on shot. To me, pow wows are harder than weddings.

Yes, they are a tough shoot.
I've attended two or three here in Canada and don't remember getting much that I liked well enough to keep.
I'd forgotten about the blessings to various areas and the restrictions on treading in them, until you mentioned it.
I also remember that many of the Aboriginal People who participated in costume were quite open in their dislike (to put it mildly) of we Whites and wouldn't allow themselves to be photographed unless large sums of money were paid. When we refused they started shouting about how we had exploited them for hundreds of years and only by giving them some money could we in some small way atone for the sins of our forefathers.

I have always been afforded the utmost respect from everyone at the pow wows. One of edits of the tribal council is to show respect to the elders. I'm about as elder as anyone there and I was helped when I needed it to get up and down when I couldn't. I was even asked to take a picture of two brothers and a sister. They were very polite and I promised to send them a picture, which I sent three. Haven't heard from them, but maybe I'll see them next year. I have however gotten other pictures I liked. I'll post one more on an add on post. I'll have to drop resolution first. I'll try to spell it the best I can. Dobronots.
This of course confused me because my Jewish ancestors came from Eastern Europe where there weren't very many North American Aboriginal Peoples living in Poland and Lithuania and I'd bet I was the first in my family to ever even speak to one, so I declined to pay the so-called compensation.
If all else fails you mght consider renting or borrowing as fast a telephoto as you can and see if that helps.
Otherwise it's the Post-Processing route for you.
Robert

Yes, they are a tough shoot.
I've attended two or three here in Canada and don't remember getting much that I liked well enough to keep.
I'd forgotten about the blessings to various areas and the restrictions on treading in them, until you mentioned it.
I also remember that many of the Aboriginal People who participated in costume were quite open in their dislike (to put it mildly) of we Whites and wouldn't allow themselves to be photographed unless large sums of money were paid. When we refused they started shouting about how we had exploited them for hundreds of years and only by giving them some money could we in some small way atone for the sins of our forefathers.

I have always been afforded the utmost respect from everyone at the pow wows. One of edits of the tribal council is to show respect to the elders. I'm about as elder as anyone there and I was helped when I needed it to get up and down when I couldn't. I was even asked to take a picture of two brothers and a sister. They were very polite and I promised to send them a picture, which I sent three. Haven't heard from them, but maybe I'll see them next year. I have however gotten other pictures I liked. I'll post one more on an add on post. I'll have to drop resolution first. I'll try to spell it the best I can. Dobronots.
This of course confused me because my Jewish ancestors came from Eastern Europe where there weren't very many North American Aboriginal Peoples living in Poland and Lithuania and I'd bet I was the first in my family to ever even speak to one, so I declined to pay the so-called compensation.
If all else fails you mght consider renting or borrowing as fast a telephoto as you can and see if that helps.
Otherwise it's the Post-Processing route for you.
Robert