What is headroom in portrait composition, and how should I use it?
Asked 5/4/2011
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In portrait composition, people often say to "leave enough headroom." What exactly does headroom mean, how is it typically used in framing a portrait, and how does it relate to ideas like the rule of thirds or looking room?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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'Leaving headroom' means leaving a space between the top of the subject's head and the top edge of the frame, usually when taking shots head-on. It is related to the Rule of Thirds; the idea is that your subject's eyes should lie on the upper third-line of the frame. Like the Rule of Thirds, it's roots lie in painting.
The concept is related to 'looking room': if you have a subject looking to the right, you should leave some space on the right hand side of the frame for the subject to 'look into'.
As ever, these are rules of thumb, not absolute laws.
Originally by user3205. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3205
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Headroom is the space between the top of your subject’s head and the top edge of the frame, most often discussed in portraits.
A common guideline is to place the subject’s eyes about one-third of the way down from the top of the frame. That usually creates a natural amount of headroom and connects to the rule of thirds, which has roots in painting and other visual arts.
A related idea is looking room: if the subject is facing or looking to one side, leave some space in that direction so they have room to “look into.”
These are not strict rules. Too much headroom can make the subject feel small or awkwardly low in the frame; too little can feel cramped. The best amount depends on the pose, crop, and the effect you want, but the rule-of-thirds placement is a solid starting point.
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