The Name of the Game is Fill The Frame

Claude Monet - all rights reserved, used solely for editorial purposes

I must thank my friend Rick Sammon for this phrase and all credit for it goes to him. That said, this basic principle is ignored more than any of us should approve.

What Does It Mean?

Obviously I am not talking about the disposable snapshot or selfie, I refer only to a created image. It’s imperative that as creatives, should we choose to make our images available to others, but more importantly to ourselves, that what we make creates a connection to the viewer in one second or less.

Does that seem fast? It’s a short time but longer than the average human’s visual attention span when viewing still images. As an artist, never assume that any viewer other than yourself is going to spend time looking at, let along observing your work. You want to catch them fast.

Filling the frame with your ONE subject helps achieve this. Of course your subject must be interesting, your composition well structured, your processing effective, but avoiding useless clutter is paramount.

yousef karsh - all rights reserved - used for editorial purposes only

If in creating an image, you place equal weight on your subject and the background, it is going to fail. The purpose of a background is to push attention to the subject. Humans in this decade are visually lazy, moreso with video than stills but in any case lazy. Much more so than even ten years ago. It is a natural response to the stunning amount of utter dreck foisted upon humanity by inane posters on social media and numbskulls who think that their work is so good that everyone should fall over in supplication.

It doesn’t happen.

By filling the frame you communicate your intent, your goal and provide a framework for the viewer to create his or her story from your image.

lee miller - all rights reserved - used for editorial purposes only

How Do We Improve?

A good place to look is at the paintings of the Old Masters. Their strongest work is very complete and fills the frame. It provides sufficient context and everything that is not the subject supports the subject. So look at this work.

Filling the frame does not have to mean that the subject is the only entity the viewer sees, although that really does help with the attention deficit crowd.

We can also look at images made by famous photographers, who are famous BECAUSE of their work, not for being well liked or well known

If we look at the Claude Monet painting at the top of the article, the subject is immediately clear to the viewer and everything else in the painting contributes to the subject and helps the viewer create his or her own story.

The photograph made by Yousef Karsh in 1949 of Albert Einstein is not the one seen most often, but personally I like it better. The frame is filled but not so much that the viewer with no knowledge of Einstein cannot get a sense of the greatness of the man.

The photograph made towards the end of World War II by one time model and later wartime photographer Lee Miller fills the frame just enough to communicate intent and story, but no more.

Filling the Frame is Work

It’s work. It is planful. Artists are planful, snapshooters are not. You tell your stories your way and by actively engaging to fill the frame, you literally create the framework for your creation.

Wrapping Up

This is not an exercise or assignment because it is required for every image that matters to you. We already know that there are many things that we as creatives can do. This one however, could be considered non-optional.

Please become a member on Patreon to help support this channel. A big thanks to all the existing Patreon members! Send in comments or questions, I read and respond to all. If you shop with B&H Photo Video, please use the link on the main page as it pays me a small commission and does not cost you anything to do so. Thanks again and we will see each other again soon.

Dynamic Angles - A Personal Development Assignment

Hey everyone. I’ve been posting articles on topics that encourage the committed photographer to try new approaches and thereby build skills and options. What I failed to do was to indicate that in the title, although many of you figured it out immediately regardless. But in trying to make things easier, I’m going to try to remember to indicate these things as Personal Development Assignments.

This time, I want to discuss a topic called Dynamic Angles. We’ve all seen images that exhibit this technique and they are memorable because they cause some level of viewer discomfort.

The look is simple, Vertical subject lines are composed to not be parallel to the vertical edges of the frame and horizontal lines are composed to not be parallel to the horizontal edges of the frame.

To be clear, I don’t mean being out a bit due to a compositional error, but an intential composition that creates this effect.

Cinematographers have used this effect for decades, often in the thriller and horror genres but it can be used anytime you want to create the sense of something “not quite right” to quote my friends in the UK. In cinema, this approach is called “Dutch Angle”.

What Kind of Subject Works?

The most obvious subject type for this assignment is architecture because that’s where we see this technique used most often. I would emphasize that this is technique to be “made in camera” not done in post. You have to observe what you see to make great photographs.

However, your subject does not have to be a building although they are relatively easy to find. Try as well for humans or animals. Take a look at the next image to see how this approach creates tension and viewer interest.

Another good use of this technique involves humans, but also chooses a position to create dynamic angles and to empower the subject. Consider this following image.

The combination of a low shooting position and dynamic angles of the paramedics makes this photo more interesting.

Your Assignment

For your own use, whether for your own pleasure, your online presence or simply as a learning tool make five images that use Dynamic Angle. Keep them in a collection for reference. You can of course combine other techniques if it helps you make a more compelling image.

Wrapping Up

I hope that you engage in and enjoy this assignment. I wish you great success.

Please become a member on Patreon to help support this channel. A big thanks to all the existing Patreon members! Send in comments or questions, I read and respond to all. If you shop with B&H Photo Video, please use the link on the main page as it pays me a small commission and does not cost you anything to do so. Thanks again and we will see each other again soon.

Your Subject. Where is it going? Where is it looking?

OBServe where the eyes are looking and show it

Hello folks. When actually observing a photograph to learn from what the creator has seen, see beyond the subject. Where is the subject going? What is the subject looking at?

In a perfect world, all photographic stories would be completely evident and while simple for the lazy to understand, such photographic stories turn into “see Dick run, see Jane run” pretty darn quick and can get boring unless extremely well done.

Let’s start with the question of where the subject is going.

A subject in motion needs a place to move into. Thus you as the photographer must leave plenty of space for your moving subject to move into. If there is no space, the image creates the mental impact of a pending crash and that’s going to negatively impact all but the dullest viewer.

there is plenty of space for the rider to move into

If it’s possible show the target of the movement. Consider a water skier in motion, towards a ski jump. Show the target. The same example could be translated to a ski jumper and the ramp. Or the gates in a slalom race. Or the barrels in barrel racing. Or the soccer ball at the kid’s game. The concept here is of the subject and the object of the subject’s focus.

All the girls are focused on the ball

So let’s move onto focus. You want to show the subject’s eyes and be able to show where the subject is looking. The object of the focus may not be in the frame, in which case the gesture and the expression need to convey enough to the viewer that he or she can create a story in their mind. For example, a fencer in a lunge, doesn’t need to show the opponent because our mind will fill in that blank. The same would be true for the grandkid taking their first jump or dive off the high board.

the image tells the story of the gate but the skier’s eyes are looking downhill at the next gate

However, if the intent of the subject is not clear, or the eyes are leading out of frame, your image needs to create in the viewer’s mind a sense of what the subject is looking at. Sometimes you can record the target of their attention, which simplifies the viewing and can hone the story into one of concentration, or commitment. Consider a photo of a bride and groom. The most powerful of such photos is when they are looking into each other’s eyes. There is no guessing required on the part of the viewer.

no guessing of intent required

The concept of showing where your subject is looking, or moving into is a simple one, but getting the image requires planning on your part, including research, prepping yourself by being in the right place to make the image and timing to get the image that compellingly tells the story. By making this part of your learning and practice regimen, you will become a better observing photographer and will generate better images.

Please become a member on Patreon to help support this channel. A big thanks to all the existing Patreon members! Send in comments or questions, I read and respond to all. If you shop with B&H Photo Video, please use the link on the main page as it pays me a small commission and does not cost you anything to do so. Thanks again and we will see each other again soon.