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A five-minute photography exercise

One photo.
Two ways to frame it.

You do not need an impressive subject to practise composition. Take one photograph of an everyday detail, then compare a wider frame with a closer crop.

Want to try your own photo on Beat AI? Choose an open theme and enter a photograph you took.

Open the first-photo guide

Any phone or camera · Free beta · Sign in to enter · Photos, nicknames and scores are public.

What changes when you leave less space?

These are two views of one genuine photograph by Beat AI creator DomHill, entered for “Round things” on 10 October 2026. B is a digital crop of the same photo, not a new shot.

A: original photograph of a blue circular Dell emblem on a dark laptop lid, with more surface around it
A: wider frameMore laptop surface gives the circle room and shows more of its setting.
B: a closer digital crop of the same original photograph, with the blue circle occupying more of the frame
B: closer cropLess surrounding surface puts more attention on the circle and its texture.

Neither frame automatically wins. Keep a wider view when the surroundings matter to your story. Try a closer frame when the shape or detail is the subject. The visible brand is not a sponsor.

Try it with your own phone photo

  1. Keep the original. Work on a copy so you can compare both frames.
  2. Make one change. Crop away some space around your subject. Leave colours and filters alone for this exercise.
  3. Look at the edges. Did you remove a distraction, or cut off something that explains the scene?
  4. Choose deliberately. Finish this sentence: “I kept this frame because…”

You can also move closer and take a second photograph. That changes the camera’s viewpoint; a digital crop simply selects a smaller part of the existing image.

Your photo. One idea to try next.

Choose a dated theme that is still open, read its brief, take your own original non-AI photograph, then sign in and enter. The historical example above does not mean its theme is still accepting entries.

After safety checks and AI judging, look in You → Your photos → Try this next for an available tip. Community votes are not required for an available AI tip; checks and judging can be delayed.

Choose my first photo theme

Original JPEG or PNG, up to 25 MB. Five uploads per selected challenge date, including replacements and rejected uploads; deleting does not refund one. One photo can be active per date. Read the current entry rules, privacy information and age and parent-permission guidance. Only share a photo you are comfortable making public.