Aim and Fire Friday - Gaze in Frame

Aim and Fire Friday posts are designed specifically for the amateur photographer who wants to learn to take better photographs but doesn’t have fancy equipment. All of the photos in the Aim and Fire Friday posts are taken with a Nikon Coolpix E995 unless otherwise noted.
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In last week's Aim and Fire post we talked about telling a story/sharing a message in every photo.  Today we are going to look at the profound impact your subject's gaze can have  on that message.  Let's look at a few examples.

Here we have two people whose gazes are directed at each other drawing the viewer into the relationship.

Here the subject's gaze is directed outside of the frame.  There are pros and cons to this kind of shot 1) your viewers naturally want to know what your subject is looking at.  You can either decide to show them or not. 2) If you decide to show the object of their gaze it can create a focal point for your shot.  If you choose to hide the object of their gaze it can create tension or intrigue either spoiling of making the shot.

Here the subject is looking directly at the camera making them the focal point.  This kind of shot can create tension which is not necessarily bad but do be aware of it.

Remember, as photographers we are all about telling a story.  There isn't a right or wrong way but rather it is about making sure that your subjects gaze is in the right place to tell their individual story.  Lastly, don't sweat it and remember that practice makes perfect!  Go make the moments last!



Note: much of the information for this post was gathered from - http://digital-photography-school.com/where-is-your-subject-looking-and-why-does-it-matter#ixzz2OwP0Pxm5.