Pay attention to the edges of the photo
Saturday 14 February 2026, 15:51 by Nando Harmsen | 1,700 views | 10 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
Do you have a subject in your frame? Always check the edges of your photo. They often contain distracting elements. Make sure you spot them and solve them. It will improve your photo.
It is so easy to overlook things. Especially when we focus all our attention on the subject. We do see things around it, but often forget to check the edges.
Always look carefully at what can be seen there. Perhaps you have half a tree in the frame, or a few branches from a shrub. Maybe someone has just entered the frame who you do not want in it. Is there a patch of light that draws attention?
All these things can become distracting. Especially if you discover them in a photo, they can attract negative attention. They distract from the photo itself.
Has something just entered the frame that you do not want there? You may still be able to save it with a crop. Crop the photo until the distraction is completely out of the frame. It becomes more difficult if something has not been included sufficiently in the frame.
Have you framed the photo too tightly? An important part of the photo may then be too close to the edge, or partly outside it. You cannot fix that in post-processing. Cropping is then the only solution.
That is why it is important to keep a close eye on the edges of the photo. Check that there is nothing there that could be distracting. Zoom out a little further if you are in doubt, and make the final crop in post-processing.
Everything is part of the composition. Even if something is distracting in the frame. It then acts like a false note in the composition. Imagine what effect that can have on a piece of music. It has the same effect on your photo.
Of course, I know that modern software can remove or add a lot. But that is not photography. That is image manipulation. It does not belong in photography. You can often solve it simply by paying more attention to the composition.
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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10 comments
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Gerrit wrote on Tuesday 17 February 2026 at 19:05 | replyTotally agree! The frame of your photo is the first four lines of your composition.
Translated from Dutch. -
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Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 17 February 2026 at 22:47 | replyNando I read this article with pleasure and for the most part you are right. Still, I have a question about distracting elements in an image. Isn't it the case that what you experience as a distracting element, another photographer does not find distracting? Don't taste and perspective also come into play there? A composition simply does not consist only of rules.
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Liesbeth Verkade wrote on Tuesday 17 February 2026 at 23:10
| reply
Thanks for bringing it to our attention, Nando! I'm a champion at not quite getting everything in the frame, especially on the right. Same with distracting elements. To prevent some of the misses, I usually take a quick look at the screen. Then I can still correct it, but that only works if it's a photo os where the circumstances remain more or less the same..
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Nando
wrote on Wednesday 18 February 2026 at 10:02
| reply
That is absolutely right. The circumstances can change quickly, meaning you can't do it again. In that case, it's a pity but unfortunately that's how it is.
Translated from Dutch.
Then my other article comes in handy
https://www.photofacts.nl/fotografie/rubriek/persoonlijk/verkeerde-instellingen-of-niet-de-optimale-instellingen.asp -
Vincent Hillegeer wrote on Wednesday 18 February 2026 at 09:50 | replyHey Nando,
Translated from Dutch.
Thanks for your interesting article.
I do think, however, that your statement "That has no place in photography" is rather strong. In my opinion, removing a distracting element from a photo in landscape photography should certainly be possible.
With reportage photography, you are right that this is unacceptable because then you change reality.
grts,
Vincent -
Nando
wrote on Wednesday 18 February 2026 at 10:05
| reply
I sometimes remove small things too. That’s not a problem either.
Translated from Dutch.
But to me it’s about removing large distracting things, which actually changes what you photographed. Or expanding the canvas because you think you should have had a wider angle. That’s no longer photography. That’s photo manipulation. -
Bart Beex wrote on Friday 20 February 2026 at 11:47 | replyThat person on the left in the photo doesn't bother me. In my opinion, they partly determine the context and provide balance.
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Donald Willemsen wrote on Friday 20 February 2026 at 11:56 | reply
The boulder in the snow photo doesn't bother me. From the bottom in the middle, a line runs via the blades of grass with a bend to the left. That line leads you out of the image, while the mountain is the main subject. I find that line to the left more distracting than the rock.
Translated from Dutch.
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