How can I compose a photo of an adult and child so the adult doesn’t dominate the frame?
Asked 3/16/2014
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2 answers
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When photographing an adult and a child together, the adult often appears to dominate because they take up more of the frame or are placed centrally. Using a Nikon D3100 with a 50mm f/1.8 and a 60mm macro, how can I compose the shot so either the child has more visual emphasis, or both subjects feel balanced?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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In each of your shots, the adult takes up much more percentage of the frame than the child, therefore it "dominates" the scene.
To avoid this, you can try the following things:
Place the Adult near a border of the frame and don't show the whole body, place the child more near the center. (Always depending on your composition and what you want to tell)
Use a (moderate) wide-angle lens (about 35mm on an full-frame camera), now place the child more near you, and the adult at a greater distance. Due to the fact that wide-angle lenses enlarge things in the foreground, and make things in the background look smaller, you can "break" the domination of the adult in your scene.
Originally by user26144. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user26144
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The adult dominates mainly because they occupy more of the frame and are often centered. To reduce that effect, change the composition rather than relying on gear.
Try these approaches:
- Don’t center the adult. Place them nearer the edge of the frame, and give the child more space near the center.
- Recompose or crop so the child has more room around them and doesn’t look pushed to the side.
- Put the child in front of the adult, letting the child overlap or partially cover the adult. This is one of the simplest ways to shift attention.
- Shoot more parallel to the subjects so they feel more equal in prominence.
- If you can use a wider focal length, place the child closer to the camera and the adult farther back; perspective will make the child appear more prominent and the adult less dominant.
With your 50mm and 60mm, your best tools are framing, placement, and overlap. If you want balance, avoid placing the larger person in the center and give the child the stronger compositional position.
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