Now that the holidays are over, I am back to taking photos of my everyday life, my family, my dog, my neighborhood and a few selfies here and there. Have you noticed that sometimes the “focus” of an image might be obvious but other times your eye wanders all over the image, not really knowing where to look? You often don’t have time to stage a photo but if you have a few seconds to set it up, some simple tips might help you to better frame your subject and make your “focus” clearer. These tips can be used with a DSLR, point and shoot camera, your I-pad or your camera phone, whatever type of camera you have.
1. Look at the background, are there any distractions that detract from your main subject? Is there a lot of clutter, especially around your subject? If so, try moving yourself, whether up or down, or to each side, to diminish that clutter out of the camera frame and then take your shot. Sometimes moving yourself and the camera just a few inches makes all the difference in what the camera will capture. Try standing on your tiptoes, get up onto a stool or chair, or get low, squat down, hold your camera lower and point upwards. Changing that perspective can make a world of difference in what image you capture. In these two images, I shot indoors, in cluttered rooms, so I came down to their level and shot across at them, thus eliminating a lot of the clutter of the furniture.
2. If there is something in the foreground that I can use as a “leading line” to help bring focus to my subject, I will use it. A fence, a row of trees or a sidewalk are all great “leading lines”.
3. If there is no getting around the cluttered background, then just try some tight framing, so the background distraction is minimized. Be careful not to come in too close because you might want to crop or print at different ratios so you will want to give yourself a bit of leeway for that. For these two images, I came in close enough that there is no mistaking what my “focus” is but leaves a bit of the background that isn’t distracting enough to worry about.
When your background is not uncluttered, try to remember to take a look at what is around the subject’s head, looking for some clean space. Watch out for anything that might be right behind your subject’s head. I’m sure we’ve all taken those photos where it looks like an antenna is coming out of someone’s head (the tree branch in the background). The more your eye sees through the viewfinder or LCD and can correct before snapping that pic, the less you need to do in post-processing. Of course, the most important thing is to capture that moment, take the photo, but of second importance is to capture the best photo you can, preserving that memory forever. I hope these tips are helpful. Have fun and enjoy taking photos!
The Digital Press now has monthly challenges for you to participate in! Come on over and play along! Among the challenges this month is one called “What’s The Focus Of Your Photo?” which you will nail if you’ve read this blog article. So, go have fun! Here’s the link:
What’s The Focus Of Your Photo Challenge at The Digital Press
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rae Clevett is part of the Creative Team at The Digital Press. She lives on the west coast of BC with her hubby and labradoodle, Taz. As a photographer and avid digital scrapbooker, most days she is either behind the camera or scrapping some of her personal photos. There is usually a cup of coffee on her desk and some chocolate treats, as she is a chocolate addict. Her laptop sits next to her computer so she can watch tv or movies as she scraps or edits photos. Taz usually lies on the floor beside her, playing with his toys. It’s a pretty sweet set-up, comfy and casual.