When you say “framing” in photography, it usually means composing the photo so that the subject is the focal point and all the clutter in the foreground and background are excluded. But “framing” has another meaning in photography. It is also a technique by which the subject is positioned inside a border. The border, instead of becoming a distraction, adds interest to the photo by drawing the eyes to the subject. A frame also provides perspective and, often, gives depth to a photo.
There are cases when a natural frame is already there and you just need to position your camera so that the subject is in the center of the frame. In the photo above, the stone post on the left and the fronds of a coconut tree on the right (tree excluded because it was too far to my right) provide a great frame to an otherwise staid photo of sand and cottages. The photo above also illustrates one of the most common framing techniques in photography — the use of an object or objects in the foreground to create a frame. You can find similar examples here and here.
There are also times when the frame itself becomes the subject of interest when the intended subject cannot be positioned in a favorable angle.
In the photo above, my girls wouldn’t pose for a photo but that didn’t stop me from taking an interesting shot.
Other times, the subjects voluntarily position themselves inside a frame giving the photographer an easier time.
That’s me and my sister-in-law, Bing, a visiting balikbayan from Chicago. Sam took the photo.
So, next time you take a photo, outdoors or indoors, look around for objects that can serve as a good frame for your subject. Leaves, trees, vines, doorways, windows… All of them can enhance your photos — just learn how to make good use of them.
Great tips, and great pics as usual. Love that 3rd one, hehe. So colorful characters
i’ve been reading your blog for a while now and i love it.
can i ask one question? how can i make the photos big? i’m with blogger and the photos selection when doing an upload is small med and large and the large doesn’t seem large to me. i hopeyou can help me. thanks connie.
I don’t know how the photo upload/editing works in blogger but I set my photo sizes in Adobe Photoshop.
It would’ve been a better photo if it were a jump shot.
HAHAHA We have LOTS of those too. Just needs cropping.
5 years of blogging… check the latest post also i bought a new camera 5 mark ii
I love framing photos….
I wanted to do something special to mark this special date…. who would have thought that five years ago just around the holidays I was digging for some recipes that I stumbled to a site called Pinoy cook. After exchanging some emails and having sent the web owner (Thank you Sassy) some photos she encouraged me to write. Little did I know after that moment, I would be blogging my culinary experiments and travels since then.
salamat!!!!
Sha! You bought the 5D? Wohooo!!! How is it? Full frame, right? That’s my target when I’m ready to upgrade.
And, Sha, I don’t always respond to e-mails. But I’m so glad I responded to yours. It’s an honor and pleasure to know you.
my captain dragged me to the shop to buy it, tax free kasi doon sa virgin islands and it came with good lenses… its really is a different camera…
So things going grest with the captain… Double wohoo! You go, Sha! I’m happy for you.
Really nice pic of Bing and you! Subjects as colorful as the frame.
There’s a series where we took turns jumping in front of the frame. Have to resize them and I keep forgetting.