Scale - how size relationships tell visual stories
A tiny person under a towering tree. A hand cradling a vast landscape. These kinds of images stick with us because they show us something about scale—how big or small things are in relation to each other.
In smartphone photography, using scale helps tell stories. It provides context, creates drama, and connects the viewer with the scene. Whether you’re shooting landscapes, portraits, or objects, controlling scale lets you guide perception.
What is scale in photography?
Scale refers to the size of objects in a photo relative to one another or to the frame. It can:
emphasize how vast or intimate a scene feels
give viewers a sense of space or grandeur
highlight contrasts (big vs small)
make the viewer feel more physically “present” in the scene
How to use scale effectively
Include a familiar object
A person, hand, or vehicle gives viewers a frame of reference.Play with distance
Move your subject farther away to make them look smaller. Or get close to exaggerate their size.Shoot from high or low angles
Shooting up makes things look bigger. Shooting down makes them smaller.Use layering and depth
Place small and large objects at different depths to enhance the sense of space.Contrast multiple subjects
A dog next to a suitcase tells a different story than either on their own.
Creative uses of scale
Tiny people, huge world: Add a human figure to a grand landscape.
Big object, small details: Focus on part of a large subject to suggest its overall size.
Forced perspective: Line up elements to play with size illusions (e.g. holding up the moon).
Did you know?
Scale illusions have been used in art for centuries. In ancient Chinese landscape paintings, tiny humans were placed in vast scenes to convey the power of nature. In modern times, forced perspective became a filmmaking trick - used famously in The Lord of the Rings to make actors appear shorter or taller without CGI.
Tips for smartphone photographers
Use ultra-wide lenses to exaggerate scale differences.
Get very low for a “giant subject” effect.
Compose intentionally to include or exclude scale cues.
Don’t always center your subject - let them occupy a small space in the frame.
Common mistakes
Leaving out familiar elements makes it hard to judge size.
Placing everything on the same plane - no sense of depth.
Poor lighting that flattens the scene and hides size differences.
Related techniques
Foreground interest
Layering
Juxtaposition
Conclusion
Scale is about relationships - how your subject interacts with the space around it. By understanding and controlling scale, you create more immersive, thoughtful images that connect with your viewer.
📘 Want to explore more storytelling tools like this? You’ll find scale and 100+ other techniques inside my book Stronger Photo Composition 4-Step System.
