Framing Your Shots – First On Land
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Unless one is merely flicking off snapshots, there’s generally a desired subject providing the impetus for taking a picture. Framing this subject is an effective way of drawing viewers attention to what you want them to see.
The frame can be any number of things from an actual frame like a window, door, or archway; to contrasting colors, light, and shapes; along with trees, structures and any number of other choices. Even using other people in the shot can work but will cause confusion if done poorly.
Frames are usually in the foreground of the image although from time to time you will see them in the background. In some intances they will be at the same depth as the subject as seen here with the Bluebonnets surrounding the Indian Paintbrush. In this case, they provide a little context as well.
And they don’t actually have to surround your subject – frames on top and bottom work just fine, as do those on the sides like the trees bordering this road through a rainforest. Notice how the dead leaves have a similar effect.
Aside from focusing attention on the subject in your photo, framing that subject may keep the viewers attention a bit longer. Here the tunnel makes a great frame while at the same time it could make the viewer curious about the location. Without more data, we might guess it’s anything from an old military fortress, to underground utility access, or even some sort of extensive wine cellar.
Framing can also add the third dimension of depth, or provide context by showing certain parts of the surroundings. This old windmill does frame the person standing inside but they are really too far away to be seen clearly. In this case the person standing under the arch actually provides perspective by making it easy to gauge the size of the windmill.
In this last photo, filling the frame with the subject would not be nearly as interesting as seeing that what he’s lying in is actually a stone bath tub that’s over 200 years old. It can also be seen that this vintage tub is located in its own structure with a view to the outside.
Furthermore, since bath tubs are a relatively modern device, one can probably deduce this very ancient one is something only the wealthy would have and therefore likely that we’re viewing a photo of an old-fashioned bath house on some sort of estate or plantation.
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[...] of the various framing techniques used in picture composition have already been discussed, along with reasons why one may want to use [...]