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We understand that filling the frame is critical to success in making a memorable image. A tool that can be used to help you do this is to include a frame within your frame. I don’t mean holding up a picture frame while making an image, although that is indeed a fun little exercise, but looking for supporting elements (the contextual support) that can be used to frame your subject, within the camera frame itself.

How Do I Mean?

Look at the first image. See how the tree branches and leaves frame Fujiyama? This directs the viewer’s eye to what is important and the primary subject. While this was made as a panorama that dilutes the power of the framing, despite these efforts the frame still works.

What I don’t mean are those godawful frame packs that you use in photoshop to put a fake picture frame around your image. No. No. No.

In the image above, the photographer has used one arch to frame another element and a second arch. Were there something interesting inside the second arch, that would be even more compelling.

Here the photography used the edges of a window to creat the frame for the subject. Unfortunately the subject is really boring which shows how using framing does not fix a crap shot.

I have to be honest here. While I purchased this image from Adobe Stock, I cropped it. A lot. The framing of the couple by the tree branch is nicely done, but the creative didn’t do any cropping so the primary subject got lost in a lot of unnecessary dreck.

Remember that framing adds to filling the frame, it doesn’t replace that critical mindset.

Wrapping Up

Think of the use of framing elements as an adjunct to composition and filling the frame. On their own, framing elements don’t create visual interest or value. Always work to get things right in camera, but if you cannot, the crop tool is your best friend.

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