Composition tip: Get closer to your subject
Thursday 29 January 2026, 16:32 by Elja Trum | 1,723 views | 3 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
What is the subject of the photo you are taking? It seems like a simple question, but it is worth asking yourself before you press the shutter. In a portrait photo, for example, it is often a person, but in landscape photography it might be a tree or a stream.
In almost all cases, the rule is: stand closer to your subject. Your subject can take up a large part of the photo, because that is what it is about.
If your subject is too small in the frame, it probably will not be clear to the viewer what the photo is about. Your photo then becomes a puzzle, and the viewer does not know what they should actually be looking at.
You want the subject of your photo to be immediately clear. If your subject takes up a large part of the frame, it will very likely be clear that this is your subject.
'If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough.' war photographer Robert Capa once said.
About the author
Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.
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3 comments
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Donald Willemsen wrote on Thursday 29 January 2026 at 20:44 | replyI agree with the statement, with the proviso that in fashion and nude photography, being photographed from very close up is not always experienced as pleasant by the model (m/f).
Translated from Dutch. -
Elja Trum
wrote on Thursday 29 January 2026 at 22:54
| reply
That is of course a very specific case.
Translated from Dutch.
But indeed, especially then it's smart to ask whether it's okay for you to come closer.
And it of course doesn't have to be extremely close (it can be). A distance of a meter or two, depending on your lens, can of course also capture your subject filling the frame. -
Donald Willemsen wrote on Friday 30 January 2026 at 11:38 | reply
Elja, we agree. Of course, you can also use a zoom lens. You can oo that way also get the subject to fill the frame. The downside, in my opinion, is that distortion can easily occur, which you then have to correct. In portrait and model photography I still prefer working with a prime, especially in the studio.
Translated from Dutch.
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Elja Trum
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Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about PhotofactsPhotofacts is made possible in part by
