Beginner's Guide to Photographic Composition

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Beginner's Guide to Photographic Composition - Part I

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Kurtis Kronk
Brian
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Feb. 2, 2009

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Fill the Frame

If you're not already confident in your abilities as a photographer, it may be comforting to take photos wide-angle or from a couple steps further back to ensure everything you want in the frame makes it intact. The thinking, subconscious though it may be, is that you can always crop a shot after the fact, but you can never get back that special-whatever that was just outside of the frame.

Part of the problem is that logic tells us not to cut off someone's hair or feet in a portrait, or to get the entire plant in that floral shot. But a beautiful portrait often involves a tight crop, and having every last strand of hair in frame will leave lots of open, boring space, if not done right.

The idea of filling the frame is not dissimilar from that of choosing a subject. In fact, it's the same, just taken to a greater extreme. Filling the frame may require a redefinition in your mind of the word 'subject'.

Challenge yourself to think differently. When composing a scene, look at the different objects in the frame, and beyond that, the the elements that make up those objects, and ask yourself the question: "Does this add anything to the picture? Would this photo be any different without this?" Often times, you'll find that you can move a little closer and you'll end up with a more dramatic and moving photograph to show for it.

By filling the frame you will help ensure that you don't waste your camera's resolution by cropping heavily in post-processing, and you'll also reap the benefits of improved DOF when you get closer to your subject.

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Page 3 of 4

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Choose a Subject
Page 3: Fill the Frame
Page 4: Rule of Thirds, Until Next Time...

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2 User Comments

1 - Posted by wdrx02 on February 2, 2009 - 2:31 pm

Great write up~ Less def. equal more!
Those who are only able to afford or have a point and shoot camera. I suggest trying to apply these "some" of these rules and learn your camera's capabilities and what it offers. For instance, taking a subject with less cluter!

2 - Posted by tomfeinerg on August 21, 2009 - 2:50 am

Wow, thanks a lot for this guide!!!

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