Five Tips for Making Better Pictures with the Camera You Already Have

Tip # 2 – Pictures within Pictures:  
Frame Your Shot

A picture frame does not necessarily confine the photo it encases. I believe it prevents your attention from straying from the image it is exhibiting.

In an everyday scenario, there are elements that can be used to frame an image as it is shot, such as windows, doorways, and other visual borders. You can effectively use these elements to give emphasis to the subject of your photos and make the image as a whole more interesting.

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There’s something about this apparent limitation of an image’s space that not only defines boundaries, but puts your subject in context as well. The image doesn’t only speak about what you were shooting, but it gives the viewer an idea as to where you were shooting from.

Didn’t it ever intrigue the editor Peter Parker was working for that he always seemed to get THE shot of Spiderman, regardless of angle and height?

‘Great shot, Parker! Did you dangle 50 stories in the air to get it? You know what would’ve made this shot better? Motion blur!’

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Okay, back to the real world. It may take an increased awareness of your surroundings before you can see and include these framing elements in your photos. But, once you develop a sense for it, it’ll become almost second nature and at some point you’ll be actually be going through a put-everything-in-a-frame phase. Don’t worry, that will pass.

Continued here