Exercise: Fitting the frame to the subject

This is a very simple subject, but it is clear in its appearance and compact in shape.

This photo is a straight forward composition of the mug, pen and pad.  It is unimaginative and uninspiring.

For this composition I got closer to the scene and held the camera at an angle.  It is a far more interesting image of a simple subject.

Here I have cut off the edges of the scene, again it makes for a more interesting image.

Here I moved away so the scene takes up a small part of the composition.

This exercise shows how a simple object can be made to look interesting just by trying out different angles and distances.