Framing
Contributors' Picks from Around the WorldPublished in X-Ray Magazine
Issue 122, December 2023
Text and Photos by Michael Rothschild
While the subject is, by definition, the main point in the story that any image is telling, what surrounds the subject can make all the difference. Framing is that process of surrounding—using visual elements and light to draw the viewer’s eye to the subject, or to add to the story by providing context.
The diver in Photo 1 is peeking out of the rusty interior of a ship- wreck, with his hands further framing the margins of a possible exit route, pushing away entanglement hazards. The diver in Photo 2 is on the same wreck but not in a confined space. She is outside where the bright green water lit by ambient sunlight makes a nice contrast to a part of the wreck that was once an actual frame around a window. In Photo 3, the exposed ribs of the ship’s hull make the diver look like a bird in a cage, with a long exposure to bring out some detail in the far background. And the two little blennies in Photo 4 have found a cozy home in a piece of cut pipe, which both frames the subjects and protects them from predators.
The diver in Photo 1 is peeking out of the rusty interior of a ship- wreck, with his hands further framing the margins of a possible exit route, pushing away entanglement hazards. The diver in Photo 2 is on the same wreck but not in a confined space. She is outside where the bright green water lit by ambient sunlight makes a nice contrast to a part of the wreck that was once an actual frame around a window. In Photo 3, the exposed ribs of the ship’s hull make the diver look like a bird in a cage, with a long exposure to bring out some detail in the far background. And the two little blennies in Photo 4 have found a cozy home in a piece of cut pipe, which both frames the subjects and protects them from predators.
