This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Framing
When I think of framing, I think of my image hanging on the wall with a nice mat and frame to show it off. However, there are other methods of framing an image: in the viewfinder, using foreground elements to "frame" the subject. While photographing in Central Park in New York, my attention was drawn to two arches. I liked the way they repeated each other, giving vanishing-point feel with the foreground arch being much larger than the background arch. I patiently waited for the people to move through, when another photographer with a similar idea stepped into the frame (Figure 4.14). Liking the sense of scale (Chapter 6) that the photographer added to the image, I quickly clicked off a few shots. Framing can be a very effective use of elements to highlight the subject. Be careful not to use it too heavily, or it becomes the focus of the photograph.
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Figure 4.14 The photographer changed the effect of the image I was composing from a simple graphic to a framed composition. The giant arches framed the smaller photographer and added a sense of scale to the image that would not have happened without him in the frame.
Using the foliage to frame the trees in Muir Woods in California creates a sense of looking through a peephole (Figure 4.15).
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Figure 4.15 I mounted my camera on a tripod to enable me to shoot at a smaller aperture to render sharp focus on both the foliage and the trees beyond and still keep my ISO low, which resulted in a slow shutter speed.
Teardrop Arch is an iconic subject that has been photographed over and over (Figure 4.16). Many people use a vertical composition to fill the frame with the rock wall, using the arch to reveal Monument Valley in the distance through the arch. Looking for a slightly different composition, I turned my camera to a horizontal composition and zoomed back to include the edge of the arch. I like the effect of part of the image framed and part of it wide open. I think it adds to the sense of place.
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Figure 4.16 With no place to set up a tripod and needing a fairly small aperture for increased depth of field, I braced myself using proper hand-holding techniques to shoot at a slow shutter speed.