Framing Tells Half The Story

I was late to a live acoustic music show at a little coffee shop, and I found a seat somewhat removed from the other patrons and the band.  During the performance, I happened to glance over to my left, and that's when I saw her, absentmindedly playing with her hair, soaking in the music, with the late afternoon light from the window subtly illuminating her from behind.  Instantly smitten, I turned my lens towards her, carefully composed the shot and clicked.

I am a big fan of shooting from the hip, but for this photo, I was very intentional about the way I arranged the visual elements of the image.  I wanted the viewer to know that I was at a distance from the subject, that most likely she was a stranger, and by framing the shot within an actual environmental border (the dark outline of the wall on the left, the top of a chair below, and the gentleman on the right), there is a sense that I, the photographer, am looking in from the outside.

In post-processing, I actually considered cropping out the dark borders to zoom in more on the subject.  Doing so, however, didn't tell the story I wanted to convey--namely, that this was one of those random encounters with beauty that I often observe admiringly from a distance, hesitant to get any closer for fear that detection of my presence would chase the moment away.  I was glad that I composed the shot as intentionally as I did, because in this case, the framing really does tell half the story, at least for me.

How have you used framing to tell your story?  Have you ever framed your subjects in borders already present in the environment?  Please share with us your images and any tips you may have for framing.

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And come back tomorrow when we announce the new word for our One Word Project for August!

sunday school: a little tilt goes a long way

This is a picture of sheer exhaustion.  After a fun-filled birthday party complete with jumpy castle and a Darth Vader piñata, too little food and too much sweets, we slowed down at home by painting her nails.  So there she sat in her chair, carefully holding her hands just so to avoid smudging the fresh sparkly polish, when she just couldn't keep her head up any longer and she fell into a much needed slumber.  After my initial response of a mother's adoring "Awww, my poor, tired child," I did what any sensible Shutter Sister would do and grabbed my camera.

It's not often that my girl will hold still to have her photo taken, so it was quite a treat to have the freedom to shoot away.  I took about twenty pictures from different angles and distances, but none of the images stood out to me.  On the very last shot that I took, I decided to tilt the camera a tad bit to make the framing less rectangular, and that ended up being the shot that I felt captured best what I wanted to convey, namely the haphazard placement of her hands and arms and head in a chaotic configuration that only children can happily sleep in.

This little tilt of the camera that forces the horizon to be at an angle to the bottom of the image frame (as opposed to parallel to it) is sometimes called the Dutch angle or Dutch tilt.  I have found it quite useful in adding some visual appeal to an otherwise bland image.  I try to use it sparingly, but when I do, more often than not, I love the result. 

If you've never tried the Dutch angle, I highly recommend it the next time you're shooting portraits or even a still object.  Play around with how your frame the shot (i.e., direction of the angle in relation to the subject, where the subject is placed in the composition, etc.), and you just might be pleasantly surprised.  For some great examples, you need look no further than our own Shutter Sisters Flickr pool!

Are there any other camera tilters out there?  Please share with us your favorite off-kilter shots!

Friday's Featured Resource - Aaron Brothers

 

My family and I moved into our house over six years ago and  it wasn't until last week that we hung a photo gallery on our family room wall. Six years. And it was actually my husband's idea!

We have artwork and photos around our house, don't get me wrong. But an actual true photo gallery, we have never had. And I (like many of you) have THOUSANDS of pictures.

Just over a year ago when Oprah came calling, some friends and I hurried to hang a few great shots. Yes, it took a visit from the Oprah show to get me to enlarge, frame and hang my photos. I vowed I would take that lead and run with it. Did I mention that was over a year ago? And in case you're freaking out about my Oprah comment (really long story short) my clip was never on the show and although I made it to the show, I was never on the show either. You can exhale now.

Back to our photo gallery; I LOVE it. And I can't believe how easy it was to put together and hang.

Consider this your gentle nudge, your sisterly reminder that your images were taken not only for YOU but to share. Honor your yourself, your family and your creative talent and pick a few of your favorites to get up on your walls.

What's the rush? The Aaron Brothers Semi-Annual 1 Cent Sale is happening right now (buy one, get one for a penny)! It's one of my favorite stores of all time anyway but when the sale is happening I'm giddy with possibilities! And what perfect timing with all this creating we're doing around here, don't you think?? Even if you're wanting to branch out and dabble in painting (like we're doing around here) the canvasses are also buy one, get one for a penny too. Even my kids are excited. No, I'm not kidding.

In other words, there's nothing stopping you from creating your own gallery!

If you've already got some photos framed and on display then you're ahead of the game and in that case, you've got to share what you've got. What photographic treasures have you surrounded yourself with? Inspire us!

You can keep up with all things Aaron Brothers at their website, their facebook page and on Twitter.

family framed

Years ago I stopped giving photos to my husband for his Father's Day gift. I know he appreciates the pictures I capture of our girls but the truth is, it's me that wants one good reason to frame a recent shot of my kids. I learned to stop waiting for Father's Day to get those timeless moments framed and just did it. For myself. For our family. That's not to say I don't make my husband photo cards for every occasion because you know I do! But, that's another story.

When this Father's Day approached however, there was a project I had been wanting to do with our Fair Photo booth archives. When I got the One Cent Sale email from Aaron Brothers a few days before Father's Day I jumped at the chance. It is my most favorite sale of the year I must admit.

Above are the final results; two of the four years of Photo booth fun, scanned, enlarged a bit, matted in museum board mattes and framed in a simple black frame. A treasured Clark family series of playful photo booth portraits. I can't wait to hang them up! And yes, my husband loves them.

Sometimes a project will inspire you, sometimes it's the photo itself, or a holiday or a frame sale that does it. Other time you find a fantastic frame and then search for the perfect  photo to go in it.

Case in point the new Photoshop Photo Framefrom our friends at PhotoJojo. This is one of those frames that anyone who has a passion for photography in the digital age will love. Don't you agree?

Leave a comment today about a project, photo or frame that motivated you to get your work off of the computer and into your life Your comment will make you eligible to win the Photoshop Photo Frame (a la PhotoJojo). Yay!

Display Idea - Photo Window

On a recent trip to visit my dad I spotted an old 8 paned window in his garage. I remember commenting about how great it would look on a wall, or used decoratively in some way. Not surprisingly, the next time my dad took a road trip to visit, he brought the window with him and gave it to me. It sat in our garage waiting to be used until this week. I've been busy preparing for an upcoming Women's Living Expo, where I'll have my own Paige B. Photography booth. Suddenly I rediscovered the antique window and knew it would be a perfect way to display some of my photos. Each pane is about 8.5" x 12.5", so I ordered the photos on 10" x 13" paper and trimmed each one to size. Then I attached the photos to the back with masking tape. Lucky for me, I have a very handy and creative husband who made "feet" for the back to stand it up. However, I think it would look just as good leaned up against a wall or hung up. Old windows like these are often available in antique stores, estate sales or on Craigslist.com. We ended up repainting ours white because I was going for a clean look. But leaving the paint distressed would have looked nice too.

I love how my photo window turned out and can't wait to show it off this weekend in my booth! How about you? Have you discovered any creative ways to show off your photos?