Oh where to begin on this subject. There is so much to talk about. From the type of lens you use to what you leave in your image and what you take out. It's at least an hour conversation, maybe more.
Does anyone remember Father Guido Sarducci and his Five Minute University? (He was one of my most favorite Saturday Night Live characters. Look him up on YouTube. You will be glad you did.) Well, I need him right now to condense this down to a few easy sentences.
Basically: Use a lens that will allow you to fill the frame of your photo. Remember, a 50mm lens is the standard "what-we-see-with-our-own-eyes" lens, so lenses below 50mm are wide angle (we can fit more into the photo with a wide angle lens). You can still fill your frame with a wide angle and close up work, but your photo will have distortion. Sometimes you may want distortion for a different look. Sometimes you may not. Choose accordingly. Telephoto lenses can also help you get what you want in the frame by zooming in closer to the subject. They are good if you don't want to disturb your subject, like with the photo of Lilah, hiding from winter, above.
Understand: You may cut off elements of your subject to fill the frame.
Does anyone remember Father Guido Sarducci and his Five Minute University? (He was one of my most favorite Saturday Night Live characters. Look him up on YouTube. You will be glad you did.) Well, I need him right now to condense this down to a few easy sentences.
Basically: Use a lens that will allow you to fill the frame of your photo. Remember, a 50mm lens is the standard "what-we-see-with-our-own-eyes" lens, so lenses below 50mm are wide angle (we can fit more into the photo with a wide angle lens). You can still fill your frame with a wide angle and close up work, but your photo will have distortion. Sometimes you may want distortion for a different look. Sometimes you may not. Choose accordingly. Telephoto lenses can also help you get what you want in the frame by zooming in closer to the subject. They are good if you don't want to disturb your subject, like with the photo of Lilah, hiding from winter, above.
Understand: You may cut off elements of your subject to fill the frame.
In the black and white photo above, of Danny, I wanted the result to be all about his eyes and nose. The fact that I have cut off the top of his head and most of the rest of his body is of no circumstance. This photo would not be the same if I included the rest of Danny in the frame. It is all about CHOOSING what you want to be your focus and then acting on that thought with your camera and lens choice.
Both of the above photos are older photos I had taken that I felt were good examples of this week's topic. Below are the photos I took after our snow storm this past week. Lilah, our snowbunny, is demonstrating the original photo, which shows way too much yard fence and other distractions, and then the cropped down, frame-filling version, which focuses more on her as the subject.
You can see how filling the frame can definitely help a photo keep your eye on the prize!
Both of the above photos are older photos I had taken that I felt were good examples of this week's topic. Below are the photos I took after our snow storm this past week. Lilah, our snowbunny, is demonstrating the original photo, which shows way too much yard fence and other distractions, and then the cropped down, frame-filling version, which focuses more on her as the subject.
You can see how filling the frame can definitely help a photo keep your eye on the prize!
I am so excited to say the blog circle has grown 26 arms this week, so you will have many examples and beautiful photos to look at as you read through. Have a wonderful weekend, and be sure to give us feedback when you can. We photographers LOVE LOVE LOVE feedback on our images! Start here with John Bouma of MaxNorman Pet Photography in South Florida.
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