The "Detail Shot" and the "Details in the Shot"

One of the most overlooked aspects for the beginning and amateur photographer is the "detail shot" And the "Details in the Shot". For years I have been preaching to photographers the value in looking for the details. And here is why.

Frequently when photographers first start out they look to take photos of things that grab their eye, something that has an emotional or visual connection to them. Then they start to learn about, exposure and framing and lens choice etc. and pretty soon they forget about what's within the photo they are taking.

And ultimately that is what is the most important thing. What is within the frame of the photograph we took. What is our emotional connection, what will be the emotional connection for the viewer. What is the importance, the beauty, the context and ultimately the content.

So what does this have to do with detail shots? Well inside the frame you see in the viewfinder of your camera is the image you are trying to take. You usually have a main focus of interest and then other items, people or things in the frame that are part of the image as a whole, but really aren't what caught your eye or what you may be trying to focus on.

So I try to teach young photographers and remind others that you always need to look for the details in the situation you are photographing. Whether that is to look for details in the event that can add to the over Photo "take" of the event or for the details within the frame that can make the photo more visually interesting. The details that can help make the composition inside the frame more interesting or that can add more information to the viewer as to what this person or event or situation is about.

So here are a few photos from my archives that hopefully will show you what I am talking about......

This is a photo from a diabetes conference where I looked for a detail photo that I thought told the story much better than an overall shot of hundreds of people and booths.

This is a detail photo of the Utah Jazz's Andrei Kirilenko's knees after a playoff game. I thought this photograph showed as much about what a hustle player he is, diving after loose balls and defending, than any action shot I took from the action on the court.

This is a portrait of my daughter, but I included the red rock behind her to her right as an icon to show a sense of place and to document where she was when the photo was taken, and I think it makes the photo more visually interesting.

I used a long lens to try an make the hair on the lead singer stand out even more. This detail made the image stronger and I felt would connect with the viewer of the image better.

This is a portrait of the CEO of EnergySolutions Steve Creamer who is a big man in person and has a strong take-no-prisoners type personality. I chose to include the detail of his hands in the portrait to try and help convey some of strength of his personality in the photograph

This is lead singer Jim Lindberg of the group "Pennywise". At the show he kept wrapping the mike cord around his arm, I thought this was an interesting detail that help add to the moment and to his personality.

This is a recent portrait of a former football player for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I tried to light it to make him the focal point, but also include the details of his football career to quickly communicate to the viewers of the photo what was the focus of this story about this man.

These next two photos are a couple of my favorite portraits, they are of actor Crispin Glover, who has been in a lot of movies and is an independent film maker. I included the full frame down to his hands in his pockets in this frame as the way he dressed and carried himself is a major part of who he is and I wanted to include that in the portrait.

In the this portrait I wanted to make his "eyes" be the focal point of the frame. He had these piercing eyes that seemed filled with ideas and energy and I wanted to try and convey that in the photograph.

So, hopefully you can see the value and importance of details in a photograph. It doesn't really matter if you are covering a news event, a wedding, a sports event or doing a portrait of a famous person or your own children, looking for and including details is an important part of making a successful image. So after that thing that catches your eye grabs your attention and makes you drag your camera up to your eye, make sure that you remember to look at all the details within and without your frame to try and take your image to the next level.