One of the pitfalls for underwater photographers, especially newer shooters, is failing to have their subject fill a pleasing percentage of their photographic frame. All too often, the result is a fantastic subject that is too small in an image. In short, the best way to describe a picture like that is “an opportunity lost”.
The accompanying photographs illustrate my point. The shark in the shot on the bottom is an oceanic whitetip. Anybody that has dived with oceanics knows they are big, muscular, powerful looking animals that make a lasting impression. But in this photograph the shark is so small in the frame that the picture lacks impact. An opportunity lost.
Compare that shot to the photograph on the top. It is a shot of a silky shark. While silky sharks are the real deal, in general, they are not as imposing looking as oceanic whitetips. But in this shot, the silky shark fills a much larger percentage of my frame. As a result, I think you’ll agree the silky shark shot has far more impact.
Of course, if a subject is a bit small in your frame you can crop your image and make the subject fill more of your frame. But be careful here. You want to start with the best photograph you can get, especially if you might want to someday make a print of your photograph. You don’t want to make a print from a severely cropped image because the print will visually “fall apart”.
I hope you find this blog helpful, and I hope to see you back here for a new blog! If you did benefit from this blog, please tell a friend.
Thank you,
Marty Snyderman from the Vivid-Pix.com Gang
We hope that you’ve learned how to Take Better Pictures.
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