Small in Frame

Sep 26, 2024

By Christian Begeman

Earlier this year, I received a call to submit to a photo contest online with a theme called “small in frame.” The example photo was of a scarlet tanager on a branch surrounded by greenery. The tanager’s brilliant red was “small” in the frame of green-on-green foliage, but in spite of this, the vibrancy and beauty of the bird was accentuated because of how it was framed. This made me think about what else I have photographed, or could photograph, with this technique in mind.

In this column, I’ve found a few bird photos from this spring where I was forced to use a “small in frame” approach. The reason? I couldn’t get any closer to the birds. Shooting small songbirds during migration is difficult when not using feeders or blinds. While birding Palisades State Park in May, I found a good perch above Split Rock Creek looking over a few trees above the canyon. After an hour or more of soaking in the spring sunshine and birdsong, an Indigo bunting landed on one of the farther branches and the resulting photo is one of my favorites from that day.

Photographing country churches also provides a great opportunity to shoot “small in frame,” especially when showcasing our beautiful South Dakota sky and landscapes. Wildlife both large and small can make good subjects as well. Photographs of a lone elk on a ridge in Wind Cave National Park and a Monarch butterfly on a wild blazing star flower showcase the power of the technique.

In late summer, I’m often in northeast South Dakota on weekends seeking late summer wildflowers in the remnant tall grass and fen preserves. This year, I shot with “small in frame” in mind. I particularly like how this theme shows off not only the whole plant but the habitat and other grass species in which it thrives. I’ve always been a fan of macro photography and wildflowers naturally make great subjects. I found that pairing a photo of a wildflower species in its habitat with a macro close-up of its delicate beauty tells a powerful visual story.

I didn’t submit any photos to the “small in frame” contest, but if it ever comes around again, I will now be a little more prepared. Ironically, my strongest instinct as a photographer is still to get as close as possible to whatever I’m shooting, but this little exercise proves it is not always necessary to capture a unique image of the beauty found here on the Northern Plains.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he's not working at Midco he is often on the road photographing South Dakota’s prettiest spots. Follow Begeman on his blog.