Photographing Details -- Photo Tips -- National Geographic

Postcard, Germany
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Catherine Karnow is a San Francisco-based photographer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, and other publications. She has been teaching photography workshops since 1995.
Isolate the Object From the Background
Often when I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by what to shoot in places like markets or busy streets, I’ll start by shooting details. I find it meditative and relaxing to concentrate on a single object. One key to capturing details is to use a shallow depth of field to separate the object from the background. In Murnau, Germany, I loved the hand-colored postcards I saw outside a shop. By using a very shallow depth of field—an aperture of f/3.5—I was able to isolate the postcard I liked most, with its turquoise water and rowboat, from the background of the busy street. I kept in a bit of the postcard above it to make sure the viewer knows it’s on a rack and was also careful to include an out-of-focus postcard on the right to hide the thick metal pole that I knew would have drawn the eye away from my focal postcard. —Catherine Karnow
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Portrait, Vietnam
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Let Expressive Faces Fill the Frame
When a person's face is remarkable and full of expression, it’s wonderful to let it fill the frame. I came across a gentle old woman in a temple in Vietnam and, by gesturing, asked her permission to take a photograph. When she looked into the camera, it took my breath away; she was so beautiful and her eyes so warm. I rarely shoot tight portraits, preferring instead to include a person's environment, but at that moment I felt that I was seeing her whole life and her character in her expression. The inclusion of her silk scarf and velvet black band captures her dignity and old-world elegance. —Catherine Karnow
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Exotic Fruits, Florida
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Include Hands
I love to include hands in detail shots. Outside Miami there’s a fantastic garden called the Fruit and Spice Park, where all sorts of tropical plants and exotic fruits are grown. I asked a longtime gardener to hold a selection of colorful specimens. The colors of the fruits really stand out against his weathered hands and dark skin. The fruit belongs in his hands. But he’s not just holding the fruit, he’s offering it to us. And so the hands play many roles: They give context to the fruit, they add the all-important human element, and they bring us into the image. —Catherine Karnow
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Wrought Iron Gate, Budapest
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Pay Attention to the Edges of the Frame
What a delight it is to shoot beautiful architectural details. Budapest is famous for its art nouveau buildings, and the magnificent Gresham Palace, now a Four Seasons Hotel, is one of the finest examples of art nouveau architecture in the world. I love to shoot animal and bird details and fell in love with these wrought iron peacock gates that welcome visitors into the grand lobby. Framing is important when shooting architectural details like this, and I’m always aware of a frame’s corners and edges. In this shot, the sweeping curve of the ironwork not only frames the bird but also leads the eye from lower left to far right to upper left. I used a tripod so I could compose the shot carefully, making sure to include the round shapes along the left of the frame, for example. Each tiny element within a detail shot is important. In the case of this image, the shapes and curves lead the eye around the frame in a graceful way. —Catherine Karnow
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Bottled Fruit Juices, France
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Use Light to Make Details Come Alive
Good light is essential for making effective photographs and no less so for detail shots. At a Sunday market in the Dordogne region of southwest France, I came upon these bottles of farm-made fruit juice. I always shoot beverages and liquids—wine, liquors, olive oil, juice—backlit. The sun coming through the bottles from behind makes the colors of the juices come alive and ignites the desire to drink them, taste them. Just one label in focus was enough to identify the contents, and everything else is just a lovely display of color and light. —Catherine Karnow
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Mural, Los Angeles
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Include Context With Abstracts
Murals are always fun to shoot, but you can’t let the art do all the work for you. I like to bring in other ingredients to make an interesting shot. In downtown Los Angeles, I found this captivating mural of a woman's face. I took a step back to include the reflection in the back window of a truck, and this added another layer of interest. It was important to show part of the truck itself to keep the image from becoming too abstract. In any abstract shot, it’s essential that the viewer understand the image. Finally, I waited for a person to walk by. Not only does this give scale to the image, but it also adds that final note of interest. —Catherine Karnow
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Harmonicas and Playing Cards, Hong Kong
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Don't Be Afraid to Style
Sometimes you come upon a detail that’s so perfect as is that all you need to do is point and shoot. At other times, you might want to style your subject. I’m never afraid to move things around to create the shot I want, to try to bring out the essence, the inherent personality, of the objects. At the Goods of Desire Museum in Hong Kong, I had permission to touch some of the displays, including an exhibit of toys from Hong Kong in the 1960s. I was particularly drawn to this display because I grew up in Hong Kong in the ‘60s and remembered these harmonicas and playing cards. These toys were so quirky that I delighted in carefully putting them at off-angles and in placing the harmonicas just so in order to see the faces on the playing cards underneath. Each card and each harmonica is deliberately positioned to have a perfectly imperfect look. —Catherine Karnow
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Pastry, Sicily
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Choose a Harmonious Background
When I was shooting at Caffe Sicilia, a famous pastry shop in Noto, Sicily, the chef brought out a yummy dessert made with pistachio icing and decorated with candied fruits. I loved the simplicity of the pastry, which reflected the minimal decor of the place itself. When shooting details, I always look for a background that both represents the place and is harmonious with the object I’m shooting. In this case, the soft green background with its gentle, wide bands of sun and the blown-out white window behind were just the elements needed to complement the green and white of the pastry. Against all this, the red and orange colors of the candied fruit glisten and pop out. —Catherine Karnow
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Cowbells, Switzerland
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Keep an Eye Out for Patterns
When you come across a group of like objects, you can create an image of patterns. I spent the day with a cheese farmer high in the Alps in Switzerland and loved all the rustic details in his chalet. He had dozens of cowbells hanging from wooden rods just outside the front door. Because the bells looked good together, I chose to shoot them as a group rather than focus on just one. I used a wide-angle lens to include the roof beams, which add drama, and to show exactly how the bells were hung. When I’m shooting a large number of like objects, I like to stand right in front of my subject and use a fairly sharp depth of field, such as f/8. This creates a direct, straightforward photograph. I’m not a big fan of using a shallow depth of field and shooting from the side. —Catherine Karnow
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Veterans Day, Vietnam
Photograph by Catherine Karnow
Use Contrast to Evoke Emotion
At a recent Veterans Day celebration in Vietnam, I was struck by the number of medals on this high official's starched white jacket. Tiny yet powerful, they were utterly intriguing, and I just wanted to stare at each one. But I was also impressed by the man himself; his mouth and shoulders showed a stoic resolve and strength. Contrasting with his impenetrable expression, and the formality of his array of medals, was the woman officer standing next to him. Including her, with her poignant expression, created a moving story. —Catherine Karnow
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