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Composition3 min read

LESSON 29

Framing

A frame inside the frame.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. What framing means here
  2. Simplify first
  3. In practice: exposure and focus
  4. In practice: kinds of frame

What framing means here

Framing in this sense means using something in the scene to surround the subject: a doorway, a window, an arch, branches, a gap between buildings, a mirror, even the shoulders of other people. The source points out that lines can organise a picture by dividing it into compartments, and a frame within a frame is the strongest form of that. It tells the viewer where to look, adds a layer of depth in front of the subject, and can say something about the place, such as a view seen from inside a dark room. The source also notes that a person framed between two others tends to read as friendly and reassuring.

Simplify first

Framing is a way of cutting clutter. The source notes that cluttered images distract from the main elements and make the subject hard to find, and that bright areas, lines, shapes and colour all pull the eye. A dark doorway around a bright street hides everything outside it. A wide aperture that blurs the foreground frame, such as leaves or a fence, keeps it from competing while still showing it is there. Ask what the frame removes, not only what it adds.

In practice: exposure and focus

This section is working practice. A frame is often much darker or brighter than the subject. A dark doorway with a sunlit street beyond will fool the meter into overexposing the street, so meter the subject itself, with spot metering or exposure compensation; lesson 59 covers both. Decide whether the frame should be a silhouette, with no detail, or a soft, lit edge. Focus on the subject, not the frame, and check that the frame's edges are deliberate: a sliver of doorway cut off at one side often looks like a mistake.

In practice: kinds of frame

Also practice. Natural frames include overhanging branches, cave mouths and gaps in rocks. Built frames include windows, arches, bridges and tunnels. People can frame each other, and hands can frame a face. Reflections in mirrors, puddles and car windows give a frame and a second picture at once. Light can frame as well: a pool of sun on a dark stage, a spotlight, the glow of a window at night. A frame does not have to close on all four sides; two sides, such as a pair of trees, are often enough.

Try it today

  1. 01Find a doorway or window that looks onto something lit.
  2. 02Stand back so the frame surrounds the subject, and meter the subject itself.
  3. 03Shoot once with the frame as a silhouette and once with detail in it.
  4. 04Use a wide aperture to blur a foreground frame of leaves or a fence.
  5. 05Try a two-sided frame, such as two trees or two buildings.