Taking Better Pictures by Filling the Frame

One of the most important things you can do to instantly improve your pictures is to fill the frame with your subject.  

How do you fill the frame?

We have all been there.  We have looked at our friend's picture and strained our eyes to try to distinguish who or what is the subject of the picture.  It could be a person, a flower, or anything. 

Taking a picture of someone with a confusing foreground and background can ruin a picture. 

In essence, I am saying there are lots of pictures that should not have been long shots and should have been portraits.  

A selfie is a great example of filling the frame. Your face fills the frame.

By filling the frame with your subject, you are eliminating negative space.  Negative space?   

Ok, what the heck is that?

Negative space is the space around your subject that is not your subject.  If you take a picture of a friend, everything in the picture that is not your friend is negative space. 

Sometimes negative space can be good, especially if you are putting your friend in a specific environment.  But if your intent is to show your friend, like in a portrait, then negative space can work against you. 

Move up closer.  Fill the frame! 

Ok, how do I do that?

If you want to take a picture of a flower, you have a couple of choices.  

First, you can show the flower with the other flowers around it.  So what do you end up within that picture?  You end up with a picture of a bunch of flowers.  The viewer is confused.  They are not sure which one is the subject. Is the subject of the picture the whole group of flowers?  If your intent was to have one particular flower as the subject, then the picture doesn’t work.  

Second, you can move in close and isolate the subject flower.  This picture leaves no doubt in the viewer's mind that the individual flower is the subject.

Here are some examples of filling the frame.

This picture is ok, but what is the subject? 

 This picture leaves no doubt in your mind.

This picture of the car does have some negative space, but it doesn/t interfere with the understanding that the car is the subject.

This picture is ok if you are trying to show an abandoned Root Beer Stand.  Notice that there are some strong leading lines leading you to the words "Root Beer". 

 In this picture, the words "Root Beer" have been isolated, so we know that the subject of this picture is the words.  

The final example shows a difference between isolating the subject and not isolating the subject.  The top picture shows yours truly sitting at a counter surrounded by some items that add confusion to the picture.  I am sure you still think I am the subject, but the other stuff in the negative space adds clutter and confusion.  

Yes, you are right.  I cheated on this picture.  I simply cropped the negative space leaving just a picture of me.  This eliminated the distracting clutter and focused on the subject.

Your Goal

Your goal is to get out there and take some pictures!  Have some fun!  Try some shots where you fill the frame.

Remember, filling the frame is one more tool you have to enable you to take better pictures.  It is not the only tool.  The key is to try a number of different compositions.  Give yourself some options. You are in control of the pictures you take.  

Experiment.  Follow the rules.  Break the rules.  Once you have taken all the pictures of your subject.  Review the pictures.  Look for the one that really grabs your eye.  

See you next week!  

If you wish to see examples of my photography, visit my website at 

thomasdeanimages.com