I have been in a very active dream state lately and one of the things that I noticed that I dream a lot about is doorways. I love the symbolism of a doorway, serving as a passageway between two places, a point of transition, a threshhold.
I really believe in the powerful messaging that can sometimes be delivered from our subconscious dream world so I decided to look up what doors can symbolize in dreams and I found that some interpretations include a representation of hope, opportunity, new beginnings, transformation, secrecy, or mystery.
I then made the connection that one of my favorite composition techniques in photography, FRAMING, also frequently involves the use of doorways. I wanted to share this photo-tip with you so that you can also harness the symbolism and creativity by using framing as a composition technique.
Ash’s fab photo tip #3: Framing
We all know about putting pictures into frames. The act of framing makes them more visually pleasing to hang and display. Well that same idea is also a composition technique that does something similar by making the scene and subject more aesthetically pleasing.
Framing refers to using elements in your scene to create a visual “frame” within your photo. Framing can add more context and storytelling to an image, it adds layers and dimension to your photograph, and it draws attention and focus on your main subject.
Some great places to look for framing opportunities include doorways, pulled back curtains, tree branches or foliage, arches, tunnels, and windows.
Framing is an easy way to add meaning, like I mentioned above with the dream symbolism, and visual interest to your photography. I love a beautiuful maternity capture in a doorway marking the huge life transition a Mama is about to go through and all the hope imbued in that moment. I also love using trees and foliage to add beautiful texture and shape drawing attention and intimacy to my subject. Here you can see several examples of how I use framing in my photography.
With this in mind, I encourage you to look around and practice using framing to add more meaning and beauty to your photographs. Happy clicking friends!
