Here is a family photograph session. The family members posing in the sunlight at the front of the family home and the obligatory shadow in the frame. Typical family portrait, but with a little difference. It was directed perhaps by Ingmar Bergman or Federico Fellini... Seriously, what is the story? Were these taken by a child? Was the off center mode done with intention? Was the photographer just very inexperienced? Was the view finder on the old box camera out of sync?
Today's Feature: Framing the shot.
This page will collect some major mistakes that amateur photographers make in FRAMING the SHOT.
(1)CENTERING: Even if not in the center of the shot, the subject should not be partially cut off by the edge of the frame. Cut off heads are the most common but sometimes the feet cut off also.
(2)LEVELING: The camera should be held level so that the subject in the picture does not look like it is sliding off the earth.
(3)DISTANCE: Then there is the shot that is too far from the subject to make out any detail. Or perhaps, the camera is so close it won't focus properly and you get just a blurry image.
It's all called FRAMING THE SHOT.
In this photograph, the subject is not CENTERED
This is a part of a series looking at a few examples from Lost Gallery of the seven most common problems of the amateur photographer.
1.) The photographer's own shadow is in the picture.
2.) Forgot to advance the film: The Double Exposure
3.) Blocked the lens with a finger or a thumb or something
4.) Somebody moved, either the subject or the photographer
5.) Not framed right, Missing heads, feet, people
6.) Improper lighting (Overexposed, Underexposed)
7.) Fogged negative from miss-loaded film or a damaged camera.
Or, RETURN TO THE BACK PAGE INDEX.
Too far away
Too far away
Cut off heads
Too far away
People cut off on both sides
Lost head
The camera was not level at the time of the shot.
Two more examples of a camera that was not level.
The camera was too close. Older cameras had a fixed-focus range that limited how close the camera could be to the subject and still produce a clear shot. Modern day auto-focus cameras handle this problem much better.
In this example, the subject and camera are too far apart. The subject is almost too small to identify.
Here are more examples of these typical amateur photographer mistakes. They are presented here in no particular order. See which mistakes you can identify in each of these.
Actually they probably couldn't hear the photographer yelling "Move in closer together!"
Even professional photographers can't seem to get everybody in the frame occasionally.
Actually, this one is tilted AND too far away.
Here is a common one. You get the whole building in the frame but the people are too far away to tell who is who.
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Area 51 and a Half 
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Don't take my picture! Oh! You DID didn't you! 
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THE KIDS 
It is always a mystery how a photograph of any of these precious children could end up lost or abandoned. Here are a few. You will probably say "Ooh..." at least once.
Dee and the Business School 
The beautiful Dee. A curious story; What do you see?
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?
"What are they doing?"
I have a theory about the first photo where everyone is looking somewhere else. I think there are two photographers and people are looking at the other camera. This a great instructional category that still applies to photos made with today's smart phones and digital pocket cameras.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike Brubaker. I think you are right. I can't think of any other reason other than something like a barn door fell off just as the photograph was snapped, and distracted anyone who could hear it. Two cameras is a much better scenario. And yes, with today's throw-away attitude, little time is spent framing the subject or finding the best background or lighting. Millions of digital photographs being taken by the hour but how many will be here to enjoy like the ones above, a hundred or even fifth years from now?
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