Just what distance should you take your photo from? Obviously, you want to get the whole subject in, but frame it as tightly as possible, unless the surroundings are an important part of the scene you wish to capture. Think carefully about what you are trying to photograph. For example, your spouse and children are standing in front of a famous landmark, say the Eiffel Tower. If you take the photo from far enough away to show the tower, they will be nothing more than tiny blobs at the base of the tower. The question to ask yourself just what is the important subject matter. That will point you in the direction of a solution to the problem.

That solution is to take two photos, because you really have two subjects. The first is the tower itself - a world famous landmark. The second is proof that your family visited it. Find a vantage point that allows you to capture the whole tower and take your first photo. Now close in on the family and take one of them standing in front of, say, the entrance to the tower. Include some part of the tower in the background so your photo retains a sense of "place". The result - two good photos each devoted to a single subject.