This past week I attended a travel photography seminar at my local photo store. As it turns out, not only did I learn a ton during those two hours, but I also found inspiration for this week’s Homeschool Lesson: Natural Framing Techniques.
Now, when I say “natural framing” I am not talking about putting recycled wood around your prints. I’m talking about using things in your shooting vicinity such as trees, windows, bodies, etc. as foreground frames to accentuate what you want to pop out in your photo. What you use as a frame is only limited by your imagination, but here are a few tips to put you on the right track:
1) Consider a natural or man-made frame that draws a parallel to your subject. For example: are you shooting a portrait of a young girl and attempting to portray femininity and innocence? What kind of frame would make more sense for that situation; shooting through a chain link fence or over a blossoming hedge? (Ok, this example is kind of cheesy, but I hope you catch my drift.)
2) Try to create a feeling with your frame. If we look at the example above once again, constructing a portrait of a young girl with a chain link fence as your frame creates a juxtaposed image that in turn invokes deeper consideration, a perhaps a more complicated emotion, for the viewer.
3) Play with depth of field. Do you want your subject in focus or your frame? Maybe you want both in focus…or neither. Really take the time to think about where you want the viewer’s eye to fall first in the picture.
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