A frame is a potent and easy to use tool of composition.
In this guide, Tobie Schalkwyk will tell you all about frames, including what they are and how to use them.
Here is what he covers:
- The purpose of using a frame within a photographic composition
- The two main categories of a composition frame
- The vignette and blur technique
- Panning as a frame
- Using a zoom burst as a frame
- The camera rotation and flash burst technique
- Finding natural frames
- Contrast as a frame
- Light and shadow as a frame
- Posing as a frame
Photograph by Tobie Schalkwyk
Where do your eyes go to when looking at this picture? The eyes move immediately toward her face, of course. The hands form a sturdy frame that pushes your eyes toward the model’s face!
What is the purpose of a frame, you ask?
- To emphasize your subject (to place focus on it)
- To draw attention toward your subject (perhaps more of a forced drawing of attention to it – the same as leading lines)
- To create a mood
- To create a specific artistic effect
- To remove clutter from around the subject (or to make it less prominent)
Cover Photo Credit: Tobie Schalkwyk
