Starting out as a photographer, I really struggled with my shots. I just wasn’t pleased with them – and the ones I thought I liked, weren’t very good. One day I had an idea; One of my old teachers and friends works as a professional photographer, I asked her if she would be willing to critique some of my work. Out of everything she said to me, two pieces of advice really stuck out – watch your frame, and don’t over edit.
What is the frame?
When I discuss framing a photo I am directly referring to the viewfinder and positioning the scene inside of your viewfinder in a visually appealing manner. The topic of framing boils down to a couple of important ideas – variety and visual appeal.
Variety
Take these two shots for example;
In the above shots, I am clearly lacking variety in the frame. Both shots were taken at about the same focal length, and both shots were taken in the same spot. It is not a crime to have shots with a similar frame, but if you were to look at the entire set you would notice that every frame is the same. Fortunately the mother of this baby only needed one shot, but I would have liked to give her more.
My only advice I can give here, is to just pay attention to where the subject is in your view finder, think of ways you can get creative and make sure you switch it up a bit. Don’t make my mistake and stay in one spot for the entire photo shoot. This applies to all photo shoots, and not just newborns.
Visual Appeal
Manipulating the frame of your image is an excellent way to provide visual appeal so you don’t end up with hundreds of pictures with the same look and feel. Since the appeal of photography is all visual, it is important to master some techniques and keep them in mind when photographing. The techniques I am referring to are manipulating the edge of the frame, paying attention to leading lines, and using the rule of thirds.
As you can see, all of the above images are very different, but they all make use of one or more of the techniques mentioned above.
The first photo relies heavily on the manipulation of the frame edge and the rule of thirds. When I composed this shot I had the option of including more of the mountain, but when I was framing it I found that it was more interesting to only include a small amount of the left slope so I could get more of the mountain on the right. The rule of thirds is also used here. When composing your shots imagine a 3×3 grid placed over your image, like the following example;
Diagram of a 3×3 Grid
To correctly utilize the rule of thirds, key elements in the image should be placed on the intersections of the lines or along the lines themselves. As you can see from the above diagram (which is also the second example above,) the center of the flower is placed directly on two intersecting lines as well as one of the leaves. The out of focus stem is also along one of the lines.
The third example above also makes use of the rule of thirds, though not as heavily as the other two – the third example displays a much stronger use of leading lines instead. The lines in the third example all lead the viewers eyes up from the bottom until they eventually get to the sky. When I shot this image, my main intent was to demonstrate the volatile skies that are on display much of the time in the city of Tacoma, Washington. We don’t have clear skies often, and I wanted to display them. I found the old foundation to be an excellent source of lines to use as a means of guiding the users eyes into the scene.
Mix and Match
Once you are more comfortable with manipulating you frame, your shots will become much better. Eventually you might try working with leading lines, the rules of thirds, and manipulating the edge of the frame all in one shot. Always remember to change your frame and view point during the photo shoot while keeping visual appeal in mind. Take baby steps at first, becoming a better photographer doesn’t happen overnight.
Also, remember, that these are just suggestions. You can definitely compose good images without the use of these techniques! There are no rules in photography, just be creative.
Feel free to e-mail me with any questions!
