The frame. This is one of the most important things to understand in photography, yet sometimes so difficult to explain. How do I explain to a newbie photographer that the frame can be used to create something else, out of what’s inside said frame? How do I explain this, to make said newbie photographer actually understand.

Understanding how to work with photography certainly comes and goes in waves. 30 years into my own photographic journey, I still suddenly understand things that seem so obvious once I do, yet not at all when I didn’t.

How to use the frame differs from photographer to photographer - naturally. We’re different people, after all.

The way I use the frame is - well, in a few ways, actually. One is to use my frame as a border in creating geometrical shapes. Another is to use the frame as something to drop lines against, creating tension, energy, visual weight et cetera, against the frame.

And yet, I sometimes find it hard to explain these things to someone who’s struggling with understanding the concept of filling the frame at all.

How do you look at the frame, and how do you use it?

Framed regards,
Malinka Persson