The action library

Dance actions need the whole body in frame, feet included, with a little floor underneath. A chest-up crop leaves the model nothing to move. Loose clothing animates more convincingly than a tight silhouette, and a plain floor beats a crowded one, because backgrounds tend to smear once a body starts turning.

Frame head to feet and leave space in the direction the movement will travel. Arms held slightly away from the body give the model clean edges to work from; arms folded or hands in pockets are the usual reason a limb comes out wrong.

The instrument matters more than the pose. Get the hands in frame and unobstructed, keep them away from the torso so their outline is readable, and light the face enough that the expression survives. Fingers are the hardest thing in the picture and the first thing to look odd.

A face fills this kind of clip, so shoot it that way: head and shoulders, roughly front on, eyes open and unobscured. Even, soft light on the face is worth more than resolution. Sunglasses, heavy shadow across one eye and a face turned past three quarters all make the animation drift.

Full body, standing, with clear space around the limbs. Gym mirrors, equipment crossing the body and busy floor markings all confuse the outline the model has to move. Fitted athletic clothing actually helps here, because the body edge is obvious.

Decide first whether the moment is about the face or about the whole scene, then crop for that. Waist up carries an expression; head to feet carries a gesture. Whatever the props are, keep them in frame and not cut by the edge, because a half visible object animates badly.

Outdoor light is doing most of the work here. Keep the subject clearly separated from the background, avoid heavy backlight that turns them into a silhouette, and leave headroom, since the camera in these clips tends to drift.

Waist up is usually right for domestic actions, close enough to read the hands and the face together. Whatever is being held should be fully in frame and not merged into a background of the same colour. Ordinary indoor light is fine; direct overhead light that hides the eyes is not.

Full length, front on, and a background that does not compete. These actions are about the silhouette, so a plain wall or a clean backdrop is worth more than an interesting location. Shoes in frame: a crop through the ankle is the fastest way to a strange result.

Bring in the room. These clips read as social, so a photo with some background depth beats a tight portrait against a wall. Keep faces lit rather than lost in the dark, which is the usual problem with a real party photograph.

The background is replaced, so the person is what matters. Use a phone selfie or a head and shoulders portrait, front on, taken at roughly arm length, with even light on the face. A photo already taken outdoors sits into the new scene more naturally than one shot under indoor lighting.

These build a scene around you, so give them room to build it. A selfie style shot with the subject on one side, or with some empty background behind, leaves space for whatever is about to appear. A face that fills the entire frame leaves none.