We are family

Romantic lifestyle

Susan Grimes

Based in North Carolina, US, Susan has been capturing family adventures since her three-year stay in the UK. An expert in composition and lifestyle photography, she is a primary instructor for the Click Photo School. www.instagram.com/susan.grimes, www. clickphotoschool.com/foundations-of-composition.

Use all your tools

Make it simple but make it powerful. All the elements included in the frame contribute to the story your image is telling. If they’re visible, then you’re saying these elements are important; include only elements that help tell a meaningful and visually interesting story. To do this, you need to use all the tools at your disposal: light, perspective, focal length and aperture choice. Leave only the most impactful details and make sure your subject stands out within the scene. Concentrate on avoiding distracting items that pull the viewer’s eye away from the subject, especially along the edges of the frame, and use compositional elements to control their attention. Tools such as colours, lines, framing, shadows, shapes and negative space should be utilised, because with just a few of those elements in place your image can become more striking and compelling.

Prepare to succeed

Catching the most natural moments involves preparation. Whether indoors or outside, the location needs to appeal to the subjects, to have beautiful light and be free from distractions. As I want subjects to be happy, comfortable and interacting, I often begin with activities that