This tip was printed from the MalekTips Computer and Technology Help and Tips website at http://malektips.com.

Digital Portrait Photography - Consider NOT Filling the Frame

SUMMARY: Why you should ignore some peoples' advice and NOT fill the entire frame with your subject.

Why should you not fill a photograph with your subject? Why should you ignore many peoples' advice and leave area around a person's face in your photo? If you are an amateur photographer, or even one experienced with digital photography but not in the possession of an image-stabilizing and leveling device such as a tripod, it is hard to take perfectly straight photos. You might think your viewfinder or LCD shows a level image, but the result may be a little slanted to one side.

With the proper photo editing software, you can rotate a picture, even by a few tenths of a degree, to salvage a photo that looks like your subject is leaning to one side. However, there is a cost to doing this. Once the image is rotated, it will have to be cropped to a rectangle, as the rotated image will have white space around the photo. If your subject filled the entire frame, your rectangle cropping will cut out some of their face from the resulting photograph, an undesired result. However, if you left some room around their face, nothing important should be cut.