No doubt about it. The most common mistake everyday photographers make is to include too much real estate in the image. This can turn a potentially gripping image into a quick flip of the photo album page. Why is this so common a mistake among most shutterbugs? The tendency is to want to capture everything within our field of view or, in other words, everything we can see with our own eyes. That includes your daughter holding the dog, the whole sofa, the lamp and the home entertainment cabinet. You want to make sure the photo loses none of the “ambience” you experienced in the moment. Trouble is, your daughter and the dog lost in all that ambience. They seem distant and small, and the facial expressions are all but history.
The tendency is to include everything you can see in this warm, inviting living room. But in doing so, you do no justice to the main subject.
If you feel you must get a shot with all the supporting props in the background, by all means do so . Then move in much closer and take another picture with just her and the dog. You will no doubt throw away the first shot and relish the second one once they are processed. Don’t cut it too close, however. Always leave a little margin around the edges, because the print will always get cropped either on the sides or the top and bottom due to a mismatch between the shape of the print and the shape of the negative or digital image format.
Don’t be afraid to get closer or zoom in to fill the frame with the objects of your affection.
The same mistake is often made in outdoor scenic shots. Once again, you want to cover as much of the shoreline or mountain range as you can see. “This vista was so impressive when I was there! Why is it so boring on film?”
The camera cannot come close to the wonder of human vision, so think about the part of the scene which is really interesting and zoom in on that part only. Be sure that the most interesting aspect of what you see comes through loud and clear.
QUICK TIP >
If you have a digital camera and use photo editing software, you’re probably thinking that you can crop as desired during editing. But there are some limits. If you have a low resolution digital camera (3 mega pixel or less) and you crop a significant part of the image away, the remaining image area will have a low resolution quality and will lose sharpness when enlarged to a 8″ x 10″ or even a 4″ x 6″ print. Even a print from a film negative can become soft if cropped too much and enlarged. So it is always best to zoom in or get up close and fill the frame with your subject.
Next we will look at how to “Throw some light on the subject”.
Guide Sections:
• Introduction
• 1. Get Close to the Action
• 2. Throw Some Light on the Subject
• 3. Keep Your Composure
• 4. Get the Red Out
• 5. Click Again
• 6. Dress for Success
• 7. Don’t Over Pose
• Final Thoughts
