{"id":304,"date":"2010-08-19T14:12:26","date_gmt":"2010-08-19T20:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=304"},"modified":"2025-10-20T17:09:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T22:09:31","slug":"small-in-the-frame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/08\/19\/small-in-the-frame\/","title":{"rendered":"Small In The Frame"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though I quite often photograph birds so that they are what is labeled “frame filling” I also like to compose images that show the bird or animals small in the frame.<\/p>\n

\"PalmPalm Warbler perched on Sea Purslane –\u00a0 <\/strong>D200, F6.3, 1\/640, ISO 200, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light.<\/span><\/p>\n

For me this image above is as much about the Sea Purslane and the OOF (out of focus) Sea Oats on the sand dune in the background as it is about the as it is about the Palm Warbler.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wanted to show the scale of the bird and purslane, the warbler is tiny and the individual leaves of the purslane are too.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican Oystercatcher chick –\u00a0 D200, handheld, f5.6, 1\/160, ISO 320, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light.<\/span><\/p>\n

I do have other reasons for taking images where the birds are small in the frame. I don’t approach, harass or disturb nesting birds or chicks.<\/p>\n

I will remain at a distance from the nest or chicks even knowing that I\u2019ll take a heavier crop than normal and while I am framing the shot I will look for a setting or background that will work with a bird smaller in the frame.<\/p>\n

The American Oystercatcher chick in the image above isn\u2019t frame filling but I feel the wave about to crash in the background and the bits and pieces of shells and the bird\u2019s pose provide enough interest. Also since the chick is small having it smaller in the frame can accentuate that.<\/p>\n

\"LaughingLaughing Gull in a quiet lagoon –\u00a0 D200, handheld, f5.6, 1\/1600, ISO 400, 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light.<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn’t feel that the Laughing Gull in the photo above was all that interesting from the distance.<\/p>\n

I was away from the bird but as I positioned myself lower and lower in the lagoon while looking through the viewfinder I found the still water, dark reflections, and the contrast of the lighter colored gull very interesting, so I took a few shots.<\/p>\n

I know the image above isn’t likely to appeal to a large audience of viewers, but it does have appeal for me.<\/p>\n

\"BrownFeeding Brown Pelicans over the Gulf of Mexico –\u00a0 D200, handheld, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 200, 80-400mm VR at 175mm, natural light.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another reason that I might compose an image with birds small in the frame is that I may want to include several birds or animals in an image and include enough background to give the viewer a sense of place.<\/p>\n

The Brown Pelicans in this image are actively hunting\u00a0 over and diving into the Gulf of Mexico. The gulls seen in the image are hoping to get the baitfish that the pelicans might lose.<\/p>\n

I wanted to convey the differences of the sizes of the gulls and pelicans as well as include the clouds in the early morning sky.<\/p>\n

These are just a few examples of why I might compose images with birds or animals that are small in the frame.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my bird photos in my galleries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though I quite often photograph birds so that they are what is labled “frame filling” I also like to compose images that show the bird or animals small in the frame.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":137121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,27,143,25,704,188,720,76],"tags":[3974,4021,3994,4159,22,4071,56,3995,4160,519,77,4158,4,343,3980,3982,722,3975,721,102],"class_list":["post-304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-oystercatchers","category-avian","category-brown-pelicans","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-laughing-gulls-gulls","category-palm-warbler-wood-warblers","category-small-in-the-frame","tag-american-oystercatcher","tag-bird-photography","tag-brown-pelican","tag-diving","tag-haematopus-palliatus","tag-juvenile","tag-juveniles-2","tag-laughing-gull","tag-leucophaeus-atricilla","tag-nature","tag-palm-warbler","tag-pelecanus-occidentalis","tag-pelican","tag-photography","tag-pinellas-county","tag-sea-purslane","tag-setophaga-palmarum","tag-shorebird","tag-small-in-the-frame-2","tag-wildlife"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/brown-pelicans-diving-mia-mcpherson-3719.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-4U","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6765,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/12\/11\/wilsons-plover-in-habitat\/","url_meta":{"origin":304,"position":0},"title":"Wilson’s Plover in habitat","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This Wilson's Plover and its mate were being run ragged chasing after the two chicks they had fledged, this adult stopped in front of me where I had laid down in the sugary white sand and rested a few moments in the dried Sea Purslane stalks.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wilson's Plover in dried Sea Purslane","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/wilsons-plover-feather-mia-mcpherson-6917.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/wilsons-plover-feather-mia-mcpherson-6917.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Warbler in my image was singing along a creek lined with willows and although the bird is small in the frame I find this image appealing because of the simple lines, the bird's pose and the wonderful eye contact the bird gave me as it briefly looked towards\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yellow Warbler \u2013 Small in the Frame, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/yellow-warbler-perched-mia-mcpherson-3624.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/yellow-warbler-perched-mia-mcpherson-3624.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I like to include habitat in my images when I am able to do so, especially when the habitat doesn't obstruct the view of my subject or when the habitat helps to define a sense of place.","rel":"","context":"In "American Oystercatchers"","block_context":{"text":"American Oystercatchers","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/shorebirds\/american-oystercatchers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult American Oystercatcher and Sea Purslane at the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/american-oystercatcher-habitat-adult-mia-mcpherson-3880.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/american-oystercatcher-habitat-adult-mia-mcpherson-3880.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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