The last point I want you to think about in this exercise is framing. In the most general way framing is composition. What we are doing when we take a photograph we are documenting our experiences in a boundless three dimensional world on a framed two dimensional print. If we acknowledge the frame, and we think about how the frame affects the viewers interpretation we are taking a big step to a good, balanced composition. Remember we cannot get rid of the frame that we are putting around our image, so we must use it in some manner or another to accentuate our subject. A few general rules about framing your subject:
1. The rule of thirds — very few subjects look good placed dead center in the middle of the frame, framing in this way is usually visually very boring. Instead, imagine a set of lines dividing your frame into thirds, both vertically and horizontally. No place your subject on those lines, or the intersection of those lines. Look at your selection of photographs, how often is your subject placed dead center in the image? Where are the subjects placed in the image? More often than not they are placed using this rule of thirds.
2. The image you create can be divided into shapes, usually the frame of your photograph forms part of those shapes. Most commonly these are triangles or rectangles. How do the lines of your image combine to make these basic shapes. Can you identify the shapes in the photographs you have chosen, how do they fit together? Are they balanced and harmonious? Are they dynamic and full of tension? For now just keep these concepts in your mind when framing your composition we will discuss them later. For me one photographer really exemplifies the use of these basic elements of composition: Freeman Patterson, you can see some of his work at his web site http://www.freemanpatterson.com/biography.htm
3. Use a secondary image frame for your subject, for example a car window, or a tree branch or the shore of a lake to frame your subject
4. If your subject is capable of movement give them “room to move”. Though sometimes a very tight composition is very pleasing, often the viewer requires some sense of the environment of your subject. Include this extra space in your images. Can you see this in the images you picked in the first assignment?
Next we will moving away from looking at photographs and we will talk about actually taking pictures. But, please don’t give up on this exercise. Constantly look at the work of other artists — they do not have to be photographers, for example painters have the same challenge of placing the world into a two dimensional frame. Also, continuously evaluate your own photographs and keep a portfolio of your favorite images.
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