How to Frame Your Subject (Part One… At the Time of Capture)

When reading articles on the rules or guidelines of composition, natural framing is a crucial element in emphasizing your subject. Natural framing within the photograph will draw the viewer to the moment and to your subject. There are many ways within the photograph to naturally and artistically frame your subject at the time of capture. We'll review examples of framing while in the field. An article on framing in post processing will be coming soon.

Some frames are obvious, such as archways, angles and lines. Moab, Utah is an iconic location providing photographers with many rock formations, canyons, arches that create picture perfect frames as in below.

by Diana Robinson

There are also other framing approaches that may not be quite as obvious. The elements surrounding your subject such as wind, color, space, depth of field can also frame your subject at the time of pressing the shutter. We'll look at examples of 1) Wind 2) Branches 3) Depth of Field 4) Color and 5) Space.

1. Wind

Wind is your friend in framing your subject. A stationary or slow moving subject will stand out when framed by breezy leaves, branches or grass.

The black-crowned night heron was hunting for fish from a branch. While the heavy branch and bird were fairly still, the leaves were blowing in the heavy breeze. The green movement framed the heron and contrasted with his bright red eyes.

Sheen's Nature Photography

2. Branches, Arches and Objects with Shape

A common framing technique, look for interesting shapes with limbs, vines, openings through thickets as framing opportunities.

The golden branch frames the waterfall in the Smoky Mountains. To read more about the Smoky Mountains, Photography at the Smoky Mountains.

Sheen's Nature Photography

With birds, their perches also provide natural framing as in the Western Towhee below.

Sheen's Nature Photography

3. Depth of Field

Working with a shallow depth of field provides a soft framing effect. Flowers are an obvious selection in illustrating depth of field as a framing technique.

The Cosmos flower uses two framing elements. The bright yellow center and magenta flower is surrounded by a muted green pallet using the shallow depth of field. The stem's curves leads from the back of the image to underneath the Cosmos.

Sheen's Nature Photography

4. Color

Surround color with color. Brights surrounding darks, darks surrounding brights, muted versus intensity – the use of colors and hues.

The vivid orange sunrise was framed with the dark, rich silhouettes of the trees and shrubs along the beach.

Sheen's Nature Photography

5. Space

Space may not be the first thing that comes to mind when framing your subject. The use of space as in the little boy below, emphasizes his bright red, wet hair.

Today, many photographs don't make it to print as in the past. Instead, they are in blogs, posted across social media and sent electronically. When they do go to print, the medium chosen has expanded to display options such as acrylic, metal, canvas wraps in addition to standard frames and traditional print publications. Using the framing techniques above and creating some of your own, will enhance your subject and pull the viewer in to the moment.