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  • Writer's pictureMaria Chernetska

What is the Framing movement?

You can alter your impression of active subjects by picture composition and choice of the moment. Think of the frame as a stage. If the action is moving across the frame and you show the main subject at one side, facing inwards, the activity seems just to have started. But if the activity faces outwards with all the space behind it, the same subject seems to have completed the action.


You can move to appear more dynamic and aggressive by composing it diagonally across the frame, angling vertical and horizontal subject lines, and if possible converging them too.

Remember that even when no strong lines are present, a slow exposure, plus zooming and panning if necessary, will draw out highlights into powerful blur lines. Digital manipulation allows you similar effects after shooting.


The moment chosen to photograph moving objects and rapidly changing situations can make or break a picture. The fast reaction may allow you to select and capture one brief decisive moment, summing up a whole event or situation.


This could be a momentary expression, a key action (like breaking the winning tape in a race), or just two elements briefly included in the same frame and signifying something by their juxtaposition. Shooting at four pictures per second would seemingly cover every eventuality. But the vital moment can still fall between frames. There is no substitute for split-second manual timing.


Most documentary photographers covering subjects that are moving very quickly, or events where a lot is happening, do tend to shoot a lot of films so that they can get the moment that they need; with digital, you can see at a glance when it has been achieved, although there is something lost when selections are made this quickly.


Frequently a photographer has considered an image worthless when shot and then re-discovered it as a successful photograph years later. So don’t erase your digital files too quickly.

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