Fill the frame - down the drain
by Mark ~ June 11th, 2008. Filed under: art, artistry, birds, business, nature photography, publication, wildlife.
One of the commonly mentioned suggestions by photo editors if you intend to publish your work is to always leave room for copy. Copy being printed text, titles, introductions to articles, etc, etc. Quite often, myself included, we are composing full frame in the field - with the last thing on our mind being some strange font spread across our images.
End use can be a picky thing, and something we are not always thinking about in the moment. “Fill the frame” is the last thing many editors or designers want because it doesn’t leave them any room to do their part. At the very least, create a few different compositions, one that might leave some extra room for copy - some playground for the graphic designer.
This image was sold recently by my stock agent for a financial institution or bank - I am not sure exactly which. It happened to be one of the times I was composing for the intent of leaving a lot of extra space. I am glad someone finally took advantage of it. I don’t know which institution it is - so if you happen to see this shot somewhere, please drop me a line. They purchased multiple rights to it - website, internal business use, and for direct mail promotional brochures. I have to believe in part it was because of the negative space available to do quite a bit with the layouts, and a subject that is symbolic of wisdom.
June 12th, 2008 at ?
Hi Mark, congratulations on the sale. It’s a very good point and admittedly I rarely - virtually never - think about space for copy when I shoot as I usually think about the image, composition and the subject and much less so of the end use. In many ways it hits a bit of a nerve as stock is a way to generate some income, but I rarely enjoy shooting for it specifically, but it’s true about trying some different variations to allow for more uses and perhaps a more personal interpretation. Great image this one, certainly makes for a great stock image!
June 12th, 2008 at ?
I can certainly see why this one was purchased! Excellent photo, Mark!
June 12th, 2008 at ?
It’s a wonderful image! The colors are great. Actually it’s almost monochromatic with the bird, tree and background being similar. That seems to enhance the sense of mystery in it. Of course, then you have that eye which stands out even more as a result of the continuity in color. Great sale too.
June 12th, 2008 at ?
If you are creating photographs for stock, then yes I agree that the best thing to do is leave room for composition. My background is in graphic design, and the flexibility of a photograph is highly prized. You could have the perfect photo for a job, but if it doesn’t give you the flexibility to deal with the reality of design (were information, layout, priorities can all shift day by day), you’ll probably go with a second best, but more flexible photograph.
June 12th, 2008 at ?
Hi Mark,
congrats for the sale. And the photo is brilliant!! I could imagine a whole lot of purposes.
Btw - how was your Germany trip and where have you been?
Greetings,
Petra
June 12th, 2008 at ?
What a remarkable image! Your composition is excellent. It provides room for copy, yes, but is equally intriguing as is. The open space emphasizes the scene’s furtive nature. Thanks for the inspiration, Mark.
Best,
km
June 12th, 2008 at ?
Thanks folks.
@Petra - was actually probably close to where you are. But only passed by Munich while driving in route to a small town of Aschau - hit Prague and another small town near Dusseldorf. I think we drove a total of around 2200 km for the week. Very draining.
June 12th, 2008 at ?
Wonderful picture & thanks for the advice on blank space!
June 15th, 2008 at ?
Wow! nice colours and great composition and sharpness on this “peeping Tom” photo.
June 16th, 2008 at ?
I did some work for magazine and they really butchered the shot just so they could get some text onto the image, has that ever happened to you ?
June 16th, 2008 at ?
Hi Bernie, can’t say that I have ever had an image really butchered - but have seen some crops that were less than desirable. It’s all part of trying to match up the needs of a layout versus the composition you purposefully want I suppose. The two do not always meet gracefully!
June 17th, 2008 at ?
Hi Mark,
I thought I had left a comment on this post earlier but I see I didn’t. I just wanted to add - I love this photo! Great image. Congratulations on the sell.
Ron
June 17th, 2008 at ?
Great article Mark and I absolutely love the image. Imagery I dream of painting some day. I love the mystery behind it and the imagination.
June 17th, 2008 at ?
Thanks Ron.
Thanks Boyd.
June 27th, 2008 at ?
This is a stellar shot!
July 6th, 2008 at ?
Wonderful image Mark! I absolutely love the way the owl is peaking out at you.
Also a great point on keeping the final usage in mind. One of the positive side effects of the increased MP count of cameras today (other than eating up your storage space) is that you can shoot an image with empty space in it and then crop it down to fill the frame.
Then there is the artistic/design aspect of empty space adding to an image. I don’t think this image would be as strong if the owl and tree filled the frame. There is something about that empty space that pulls you in and makes the image stronger…
July 6th, 2008 at ?
BTW Mark: speaking of sales; did you do some sales to the state of Michigan tourist board?
during my travels through Wisconsin and Chicago this past week I keep seeing billboards and large ads on buses advertising to come visit Michigan. Some of those images felt like they were your style…
July 6th, 2008 at ?
Greg, no sales to the Michigan tourist bourd that I KNOW of…
July 8th, 2008 at ?
Fantastic image, Mark!