Other Filling the frame

[Doug Ouren]

Okay so I am an intermediate photographer at best so please be patient with my question and thanks in advance. My question is, is there a model/calculator whose results will give you the percent of a frame you will fill, without cropping, based on target image size, distance, zoom level lens type etc. i.e. say you have a elk at 300 meters and you are using a 200-600 zoom lens zoomed to 600 what percentage of the photograph with the elk image take up? Again thanks much for you patients and input.

 

[Unframed Dave]

I don't think so, why would you require such a thing?

 

[Alan Clark]

Image size = focal length x Subject size / subject distance.
So if the elk is 3 metres high then the image size = 600 x 3 / 300 = 6mm.

 

[iamdlewis]

I don't think such a calculator could exist. There are 8 types of elk with varying sizes but also the position would need to be taken into account, so the answers would be basically infinite.
The concept of "filling the frame" really is for what you want in your image. For wildlife some people take this concept to mean that the subject should fill the majority of the frame, kind of like a portrait. For others this means the environment of the subject is what should fill the frame.
Personally I like to give more space when taking the photo and then crop to fill if that is what I feel works best with the subject in its pose. For instance this first one I feel works best as a portrait type shot and the 2nd with more environment.

• ILCE-1
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
• 600.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 1000

• ILCE-7RM4
• FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
• 400.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/400 sec
• ISO 320

 

[Unframed Dave]

Agreed, I like the first shot, love the second.

 

[Doug Ouren]

Thanks much for the responses and my reason for the question was simply my curiosity and just making my way up the learning curve. Thanks again