Free Photography Tutorials

Here is a very simple technique for adding a lot of interest to your photos. This is similar to the get closer tutorial but with a little extra punch. This is a shot of some homemade Christmas cookies. It shows the tray but really lacks detail and is a rather uninteresting photo.

This next shot I really moved in close and completely filled the frame with nothing but… Continue Reading »

The technique I am writing about today is a composition technique called a frame within a frame. The idea here is to use something in the foreground of your picture to create a frame for your main subject.

This is a monument at Presque Isle in Erie, Pennsylvania. I walked all around this monument shooting at many different angles, everything from standing and filling the frame with it to lying on the ground and trying to just use the beautiful blue sky as a background. Finally I walked out of the “viewing area” and found this lovely tree branch and the sitting stones. I was then able to help isolate and really draw attention to my main subject ( the monument) and really add a lot of interest to the shot.

In this next shot I used the railing and floor boards of a porch to help capture this great environmental portrait. This illustrates another use of frame within a frame. I not only was able to really drive attention to my subject but I feel as though I really captured the essence of curiosity that all toddlers have.

Also take note of the use of available light here. I exposed the picture for her face which is the subject of the shot, but using the sunlight to back light her and make her hair glow or create a halo really helps to add some punch to the shot.

You can use a lot of different things to create a frame within a frame. You could take a picture of a flowerpot in a window frame. A child staring out of a window. A person standing or posing in a doorway. I have seen some companies make entire advertising campaigns out of people holding picture frames around their faces. There are a lot of possibilities with this composition technique. Go out and take some shots with this in mind. And please give me some links to show off your work.

Published by: Gene Fetty http://www.freephototutorials.com ©2008