Photo tips: framing and composition

Before thinking about framing or composing your photos, ask yourself why you want to take this photo, what you want to show, tell, or make people feel with it.

What questions should you ask yourself before framing and composing?

You have to ask yourself the right questions: What is the subject? What is the context? Move closer to fill the frame or move away to integrate the environment.

Some basics:

• Rare, exceptional subjects whose details do we want to be able to admire? Fill the frame
• The environment is important in relation to the subject, to the composition (Do not fill the frame)
• The subjective relationship you want to create between the subject and the observer is strong and important. (Fill in the frame)

Then:

It is necessary to remember a few simple rules:

• Do not center the subject (always de-center the subject)
• Avoid photographing the object near the curbs
• It should not be placed on a central axis

These are the basic rules, but they are very effective.

The rule of thirds

Knowledge and control of proportions in a frame have occupied a large number of painters over the centuries and have given rise to this rule of compositions that can be applied to photography.

Our explanation:

For an image is divided by thirds.The three parts of our image will be divided by lines of force. Intersections will thus represent strengths. To use this rule well, you must place the subject on a strong point, or on a line of force. Discover a practical case with the eyeglass photography for e-commerce .

For example: If you want to take a picture of a landscape you must place the horizon line on one of these lines of force (usually the one at the top) and if in this landscape there is an important point that catches the eye like a castle, then it will have to be placed on a strong point.

In this case, the subject becomes more important than the horizon line. But it should still be avoided to place the latter in the center of the frame.

Here are two tips for beautiful visuals:

• If your subject takes up a large part of the frame, the important point of your subject should in fact be a main part of the frame, like the eyes in a portrait.
• Also leave space in front of the subject, a movement: It does not matter if this movement is real, (a displacement) or suggested, (an orientation, a look).

Conclusion:

We just talked about rules, not about laws (read our article on the laws of e-commerce visual attraction). It's about helping you with your shots. However, do not focus on them if another composition seems more aesthetic to you. These rules, in particular, that of composition apply to Packshot product photography. Discover how an e-shop photographs its shoes with a in-house e-commerce photo studio.