simplicity

If there is a single dominant feature to be found in photographs, which catch the eye, win prizes and grace the covers of newspaper and magazines it is that they are invariably quite simple. ‘Keep it simple’ is one of the most useful rules of thumb for a photographer, which comes naturally. Often a simple picture needs to be carefully contrived.
One of the most basic ways in which a minimalist approach can be made to photography is to simply move closer with the camera. Standing too far back to take a photograph is perhaps the overwhelming fault which befalls most beginners.

Move In Closer ….

•Almost any shot will look better if we take two or three steps closer to our subject.
•Filling the frame entirely with the subject will make a terrific difference to our photos.
•Alternatively, instead of moving closer, use the zoom lens of our camera to get a close up shot.
•When taking shots of family and friends, most people place the subject's full body in the frame, or place head and arms in the shot. Instead, fill the frame with our subject's FACE only - particularly if they are smiling or are in a moment of reflection.
•Why does this work? With less clutter in the image, there's less to draw the eye away from the main subject of the photo.
•Also, human faces (particularly children's faces) are something we all feel pleasure looking at.
•If we can't get close enough when we're taking the shot, we can crop in later using photo editing software - crop out everything except the subject's face and see what a difference it makes.
•Most digital cameras now come with an inbuilt LCD screen. We can eliminate the parallax error by using the LCD - which shows you what the lens sees - rather than the viewfinder.