This week’s Snap Tip is “Get Close and Get Low!” Two very simple things that you can do to improve the composition of your photos is to get closer to your subject, and then get down on the same level of your subject. As you will see in my examples (which are just snapshots from our family vacation) is that by getting closer, you take away a lot of distracting ‘space’ that doesn’t really add to the image. By getting lower, the image becomes more personal. Of course this formula is not for all images. There may be times that the surroundings greatly enhance your subject, or you actually want to shoot from a higher point of view. But many times, by getting closer and lower, you can see a really big improvement.
For getting closer, this can be as simple as physically moving closer to your subject, or using the zoom on your camera. If you choose to use your zoom, be sure to use only the “optical” zoom (if using a point and shoot digital), as using the “digital zoom” (usually marked by a little tick mark on the zoom scale) can cause loss of quality in your image. It is important to compose the image the way you want it, or as close to it as possible, when you shoot. Cropping the image on your computer later also causes a loss of image quality, and may cause your final image to look blurry of pixilated. In order to get lower, you may have to take a knee, or in some cases, get all the way down on the floor.
Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think and please let me know your results after you try the Snap Tips out yourself!
This first example was shot while sitting in the lounge chair at the edge of the pool. As you can see, there are people in the background, as well as a shadow in the foreground, which is very distracting. We obviously know that little Ava is the subject of the photograph, but the other distracting elements in the image pull your eye away from her.
In this example, I had moved out of the chair, closer to the edge of the pool, and had taken a knee and was actually leaning over even more, so that I was closer to her level. As you can see, she is obviously the center of attention now, and there are not as many distractions in this image.
In the following examples, you will again see how getting closer and lower can improve your image. The point of interest in the image is Claire and her Uncle Keith digging in the sand. While Grandma is in the photo watching them, what we really are looking at is the two of them digging in the sand. Even though there is some pretty landscaping, it doesn't necessarily help this particular composition out, as the interest is almost completely in what the two of them are doing.
At this point, they are no longer digging, but by getting down on one knee again, and being on thier level, I was able to catch more of their expressions, and put the focus of the image completely on them, making it a little more interesting.
Now, Let's Review:
Snap Tip #1 - Find your Manual
Snap Tip #2 - Get Close and Get Low!
See you next week, and Happy Snapping!
~Melissa
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