Photographing Up Close

I like a tight crop. That means I like to get in close and really capture some aspect of my subject in detail. I like to fill the frame with say a face, or half of a face, or maybe just the eyes. I think I'm drawn to the sincerity of such portraits, the purity and simpleness. You see, when you get that close to your subject, there is no distracting background, there is nothing else to help tell the story. The viewer may look only at what you have offered them.

In contrast, zooming out, stepping back from the subject can give much more information about the scene. For example, you might be shooting your son's football game, and you may decide that no one will know what's going on if you don't pan back to reveal the setting.

But I say, think of the intensity you could capture if you zoomed in on your son's determined face, if you were close enough to see the smudges of mud, his eyes narrowed and jaw clenched. Pictures that show the environment often set the scene, but you may be surprised by what you are able to say with a close up.