Framing is one of the most important aspects of photography. And it’s often overlooked by many beginner photographers. Framing a shot means deciding what to include in the photo. It also means deciding what to exclude from the photo.
But it’s more than just that. It also means deciding how you position your subject in relation to the other elements of the scene. Here are eight tips for framing photography for better shots.
The Benefits of Framing Photography
In photography, composition and lighting are everything. Without the right perspective, your subject will look unflattering or not stand out.
This is where framing comes in. Framing photos is how you surround your subject with the other elements in the photo. This makes it stand out and grab the viewer’s attention. You can think of this as a frame within a frame.
There are many interesting ways you can use framing. Some depend on luck. Others rely on the photographer’s creative eye. The right photo framing will make your photos look original and stand out. Here are a few ways to achieve this.
1. Create Frames Using Light and Shadows
Photography is the art of capturing light. Deliberately using light is one of the best ways of highlighting elements in your image, whereas darkness hides elements. One way of creating a frame in your image is to use light and shadows.
Shadows don’t always have to be harsh to frame the subject. But if you take a look at the image below, you’ll see just how dramatic they can be.
2. Experiment with Bokeh
Bokeh is a creative way of using light to frame your subject.
There are many ways to create bokeh. You can use fairy lights, capture light shining through semi-transparent leaves, or use a crystal or glass. This creates a soft, artistic frame.
You can also blur the background by using a wide aperture.
You can incorporate bokeh in the background, foreground, or both.
3. Ask the Subject to Frame Themself
If you are photographing a person, you can also ask them to frame themselves. Many models and professional portrait photographers use this technique.
The model can place their hands, for example, in a way that creates a frame around her face. This is a natural and flattering way of emphasizing a certain body part.
4. Use Doors and Windows to Make Your Subject Stand Out
One of the best ways to frame your subjects is to use doors, windows, or actual frames. These can be in the foreground through which you shoot. Or they can be in the background with the subject in front.
Doors and windows are perfect for framing photos of people, places, and objects.
There’s a lot you can do with a single framing tool. For example, you can use a window as a background or a blurred foreground. Or you can shoot through a frame to emphasize an indoor or outdoor landscape.
If you’re shooting a wedding, you can use simple photo booth frames. You’ll get funny photos without compromising the quality of your photography composition.
5. Shoot Through Objects to Bring out Details
Using elements in the foreground to fill negative space can make your image look more interesting.
If you want to create a soft atmosphere, use a large aperture. Your goal is to put the spotlight on your subject by surrounding it with a pleasant blur.
For something more detailed, use a smaller aperture. Take a few steps away from the foreground. This will still create a blur, but it will make the foreground slightly more clear. This technique is often used in wide-angle photography. It helps capture as much of the atmosphere as possible.
Depending on your theme, you can use a combination of simple and vibrant objects. You can use foregrounds to make a minimalist portrait stand out. Flowers work especially well here. For a moody landscape shot, you can take photos through a branch or a bush.
6. Cover Your Subject in Simple Fabric for a Minimalistic Effect
Outfits and decorations are very helpful for enhancing a composition. Your subject might look awkward or dull compared to their surroundings. To remedy this, try framing them using cloth or fabric. This is most useful for framing portrait and still-life photography.
Ensure the fabric you use complements your subject’s appearance and shape. Neutral and pastel colors tend to work well in most shots.
Another way to use this framing technique is to cover parts of your subject. This puts the spotlight on a specific area.
For example, if you’re photographing a person, you can cover half of their face. This will lead the viewer’s eye to the part of their face that’s visible. And it’ll make your composition more intriguing to look at.
7. Use Natural Symmetry to Emphasize Your Model
Compositions and symmetry go very well together, especially in atmospheric photos. You can take a few steps back from your model without making your composition look busy. You can do so using basic symmetry knowledge.
This doesn’t mean you have to set up a studio with symmetrical props or backgrounds. Look for symmetrical elements in cities or out in nature. Some of the many examples could be country roads, skyscrapers, bridges, or water reflections.
Place your subject in the middle (or as close to the middle as possible) of these environments. If you don’t get the symmetry exactly right, you can always crop the frame in post-processing.
8. Use Reflections for Framing Photography
Window reflections are perfect for framing minimalist photos. You can use them in almost any genre of photography.
For portraits, position your model standing behind a window. Take photos from different angles to find the best reflections. (Don’t shoot right in front of or head-on to the window. Doing so will mean your camera will end up in the reflection.)
Reflections tend to be abstract and neutral in color. This is perfect for hiding or emphasizing certain features. This is similar to using a blurred foreground to bring focus to your main subject.
If you’re a landscape photographer, photograph different views reflected in a window. This creates a somewhat distorted and atmospheric effect.
You can also combine reflections and symmetry to create surreal photos like the one below.
Conclusion—Framing in Photography
There are many photographic framing techniques you can use to improve your compositions. Frames help you create balance and highlight specific elements for the viewer.
Knowing how to frame a photo will help you turn even the simplest subjects into eye-catching works of art.
