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Photo Tips & Techniques

Composition - Fill the Frame by John Beebe If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." - Robert Capa Article rating: 8.02

If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." - Robert Capa

This is equally true on the frontlines of war where Robert Capa earned his reputation and on the home front with our families where the rest of us seek to capture moments in our lives.

More than anything filling the frame creates an immediate and direct relationship between the viewer and image. With family photos this can be particularly powerful.

In addition, filling the frame can remove distracting elements from the image -- cluttered playrooms, other families in the park, even car seats can be removed simply by moving in closer to the subject.

So how do you fill the frame?

The temptation is often to simply zoom in closer. With the advent of very good zoom lenses for all types of cameras, it is easy to simply zoom in to capture the moment. Try to avoid this temptation.

The far better approach is to physically move closer to your subject (this is exactly what Capa was talking about). This creates a sense of connection and intimacy with your subject that is simply not possible with a zoom lens. You will see this in your images.

Moving closer, however, creates a problem because it can easily disrupt the moment. When your child is quietly reading or sharing a sweet moment with a grandparent, the last thing you want to do is break the magic by moving in with a camera.

While there is no simple solution to this dilemma, this is what I do. First, I wait. I might sit down on the floor close to the child and not start shooting. I wait until I am boring and the child is back to reading. Yes, I miss that first moment but the moment comes back and I am there to capture it. Second, I use a physically small lens. For users of small cameras, this is easy and a big advantage to the camera. For users of dSLRs, this is where having a small prime lens (I use a 50mm 1.4 f lens) is a great tool. These lenses are small and non-intimidating.

So grab your camera, slow down, move in close and fill the frame. You might miss the first moment but you will capture the intimacy of the next moment when it arrives.

Technical Details:

Maeve

Camera:  Nikon D200
Lens:  Nikon 50mm 1.4
Aperture: f2.8
Speed:  1/125
ISO:  200
Focal length: 50mm (75 35mm equivalent)

Cousins

Camera:  Nikon D200
Lens:  Nikon 50mm 1.4
Aperture: f2.5
Speed:  1/125
ISO:  250
Focal length: 50mm (75 35mm equivalent)

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	Good advice, I have a 2 yr. old grandson and need to use this technique more often. Thanks. Barbara Posted by: Barbara Apr 29, 2008 @ 1:46 PM EST
	Excellent, very informtive Posted by: John Apr 30, 2008 @ 11:52 PM EST

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