Beginning Photography Tips – Fill the Frame

In one of my college photography courses, one of the most helpful (and simple) tips I learned was from my black and white photography professor when he said, “If you’re having trouble with your photography, try getting closer.”

After thinking on this for awhile I looked back over my shots and saw that, for any given subject, I was backing up or zooming out so that I was sure to get the most content within the frame (frame, here, meaning the confines of your camera’s sensor, not the big wooden square hanging on your wall). To many beginning photographers, the concept of “filling the frame” means “fill the picture with as much extraneous content as humanly possible,” which is exactly what I was trying to do. The subject of my pictures was unclear because I had included a lot of its surrounding environment.

An important element of photography (and art in general) is simplicity. When composing your shot, take a moment to think about what the subject of your photo is and how it can have the most impact on the viewer.

Take for example this picture I took of my wife at our favorite vacation resort. At the time, she was swimming in a crowded pool. I didn’t want everyone else in the picture, just her. So, I sat by the edge of the pool and pointed the camera straight down at her.

Some might think that cropping off the top of your subject’s head may not be proper portrait composition, but it’s an excellent way to get closer to your subject and give their face more impact.

Tightening your framing can also serve other purposes such as creating a sense of infinity, as detailed in this article by Digital-Photography-School.com. When photographing a scene where repetitive elements come into play, you can compose your shot so that neither the beginning nor the end is in view, giving the sense that the subject continues on forever.

Now It’s Your Turn
Bryan Peterson, author of Understanding Digital Photography, offers an excellent “fill the frame” exercise of taking shots of nothing but letters and numbers for a whole week. These can be characters from street signs, mailboxes, business signs, junkyards, antique stores, etc. Keep it interesting and go for characters with different colors, textures, and depth.

Not your style? Then grab another simple object, such as a piece of fruit, a cup of coffee, or your favorite camera accessory and practice filling the frame creatively.