Suggest use a wider aperture (to blur the background) and use tighter cropping. (to focus the viewer's attention on a specific point). If the light's too bright to use a large aperture, use a neutral density filter, or a telephoto lens or move in much closer. Some great photographers (ie Cartier Bresson) used very small apertures and didn't use differential focus, however not many of us can take pictures like the grand masters, so we have to resort to other techniques to give our pictures "snap" and interest.