Taking Better Photos Tip #1 ~ Framing

Framing is one of the key components of a better looking picture!  Every picture tells a story.  Ask yourself, "Why and I taking the photo?"  "What is important about this moment that makes me want to jump up and grab my camera?"  This is the basis of what should be included in your frame. There are also the following points to consider to make your next shots a bit more meaningful!

1.  Take into consideration the subject and it's relationship to it's surroundings.  For example, say you are taking a picture of your child blowing out the candles on his or her birthday cake.  To answer my first question posed above, "Why am I taking this picture?" is obvious.  It is to document this momentous event in your child's life. Right?  Right.  Well then, it is important that you capture your child's entire upper torso, face, entire head & the entire cake in your camera's viewfinder.

2.  Try to frame your picture using the rule of thirds.  Pretend your frame is divided into 3 equal parts from left to right ~ 1,2,3. More than likely, if you move your subject to either side (1st and 3rd) frame, you can include much more information into your picture.  In the example above, the birthday child goes in frame 3 and the cake in frame 2 and some party guests in frame 1!  A much better composition and much more information is collected which tells more of your story!


3.  Be sure to leave space around the perimeter of your picture should you decide to frame this picture.

4.  When framing in a shot, also consider the background.  For a better picture that tells more of the whole story, try to gather friends and family behind the birthday boy or girl to capture the expressions and the joy on more faces.  With just a bit of forethought, you can snap some sweet facial expressions of party guests instead of your messy kitchen counters!

5.  Most pictures we snap are taken from our adult perspective.  To enhance your photo quality even more, try stooping to the level of your subject and taking the photo from there.  Getting on the same level as your subject will often times give you a better perspective of their experience.  So bend down to their level and snap some shots!

I hope you find this interesting!  Happy snapping!