Tips To Frame Your Shot For A More Interesting Photograph

Framing your photograph is the last step before pressing the shutter release, and one that is often forgotten by beginning photographers. Here are some tips to use your camera’s natural frame to create a more interesting photo…

• When taking photographs it is often helpful to pretend that the image in your viewfinder is in a picture frame. The camera is capturing a small part of the world in front of it and freezing it within the area of the photo–essentially functioning just like a picture frame hanging on the wall. Would you want to see the image you have in your viewfinder hanging on the wall?
• One of the best ways to give your ordinary snapshots a higher interest level is to break out of the horizontal frame habit. Turn your camera 90 degrees to form a vertical framing box. Many things in our natural world are vertical in their nature. Trees, plants, and people are all vertically oriented subjects. Rotate your camera and capture those vertical subjects naturally. Even if you are only capturing a part of the subject, a vertical orientation will many times offer a more pleasing and balanced photo.
• Get yourself into the habit of running your eye around the edges of the image in your viewfinder just before pressing the shutter release. You are looking for unwanted intrusions into the photo. You may also catch a stray photographer’s finger from time to time. Stray objects poking in from the side are usually distractions that block part of the photo or take attention away from the primary subject of your photograph.
• Another thing to look at while framing your shot is the background. Watch for distractions behind your subject. Is that potted plant growing out of little Abby’s head? What is that bump on Jack’s shoulder? When you see these unwanted growths, you may just need to move you and the camera, or your subject, slightly to one side or the other to move the offending object to a less distracting location.

Rule of Thirds

I want to mention briefly one of the basic rules of interesting photography – the rule of thirds.

Simply stated, the rule of thirds says that when you divide the image area into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, you create four dynamic centers of interest. If you try to place your subject over one of those dynamic spots you will find that the image becomes more alive, less static.

A companion part to this rule, especially when shooting animals and people, is to have your subject looking into the frame, not out of it. So for example if little Abby is looking towards the right side of the frame, place her over one of the dynamic centers on the left side. Give your subjects some breathing space in front of them. It is much better to have their back against the wall (frame edge) than their nose.