frames

I've recently become interested in photographing through "natural frames" -- doorways, windows, and other structures that crop the subject even further within the frame of the photograph. There are many aesthetic reasons for using frames as a compositional element, and used well, they can make images really interesting. For me, frames also create a sense of see-through vision: like Superman, I can see through to things on the other side. The challenge then arises as to how I might stand on one side, find a way to include the frame, but ultimately make something else the focal point of the photograph.



Why not just crop out the frame? Zoom in on the desired subject? Or walk through the frame and not deal with it altogether? Frames help create a sense of removal, an illusion of immense distance or a blockade that is impossible to traverse, yet the subject is so important and worthy of documenting that I have no choice but to compose a photograph from that spot. It also creates a vivid sense of voyeurism, which for me (and for many photographers, I suspect) is a huge reason why we traipse around with cameras.