Creative Framing in Photography: A Playful Shift in Perspective
I often find myself reaching for framing when something in my image feels… flat. Like the story is almost there, but it hasn’t found its voice yet. And more often than not, framing is the piece that makes everything click.
It’s such a simple tool—and yet it holds the power to transform how we see.
Framing can give a photograph structure, rhythm, and surprise. It invites us to pause, to look again, to find meaning not just in what’s in the frame, but how we place it there. And when it becomes a regular part of your visual practice, it turns the everyday into something unexpectedly beautiful.
A Shift in How I See
My daily beach walk is a perfect example. I’ve taken hundreds—maybe thousands—of images there. At eye level, it’s always the same: sand, water, sky. It becomes predictable.
But the moment I start looking for frames, everything shifts.
I might crouch down and look through a hole in a seashell. Or shoot through wildflowers growing in the dunes. That’s when the scene becomes layered and full of possibilities. The frame becomes the foreground—a visual beginning. Then comes the main story: the beach. And maybe, if I’m lucky, a bird flying through the background becomes the final chapter.
Framing breaks up the scene and gives it flow. It invites play. It helps me move past “I’ve shot this before” and into “What else is here?”
Creative Invitations to Explore Framing
1. Start with Curiosity
Before you even raise your camera, pause. What’s catching your eye? What feels ordinary—and how could you make it feel new again?
Look for shapes, gaps, openings, textures. A window. A tree branch. A bicycle wheel. Let your curiosity lead.
2. Use Framing to Create Depth
Framing adds more than composition—it adds story. Place something between your camera and your subject to pull the viewer through the image. A soft blur in the foreground becomes an invitation to enter the scene.
Think of it like writing: the frame is the opening line. It sets the tone.
3. Change Your Perspective
The frame often reveals itself when you stop standing still. Crouch down, shoot through something, find a new angle. I’ve used copper pipes, metal spirals, doorways—even the shadow of my own hand—as impromptu frames. The less perfect, the more intriguing.
4. Let the Frame Set the Mood
A heavy architectural frame can feel formal or classic. Soft natural elements—like grasses or flowers—can bring intimacy or dreaminess. Choose based on what you want the image to feel like.
5. Use Framing When You’re Feeling Stuck
When the scene feels uninspired, framing becomes a way back in. It’s often my go-to warm-up exercise when I’m feeling disconnected from my camera. Suddenly, the same space I thought I knew becomes full of surprises again.
A golden arc of metal in the foreground gently frames the lifeguard tower, guiding the viewer’s eye and setting the stage for the story. Captured with the Lensbaby Edge 80.
Sunlit seaweed in the foreground catches the morning light, framing the waves as they roll to shore. Captured with the Lensbaby Velvet 28.
The reflective surface of a building becomes an unexpected frame—capturing the last light of sunset in a wash of color and shape. Taken with the Lensbaby Edge 80.
The viewer’s eye is drawn to the seagull in flight, encircled by soft, glowing light leaks. It’s the contrast between shadow and brightness that makes the framing effect come alive.
A deep shadow forms a triangular frame, drawing the eye straight to the burst of color at the center of the image.
A Gentle Exercise to Try
Next time you head out with your camera, give yourself a mini challenge:
🎯 Find five different ways to frame the same scene.
Try different angles, materials, and levels of depth. Use framing as a way to explore—not just document.
You might be surprised by how many layers are waiting to be seen.
What Are Your Favorite Ways to Frame?
I’d love to know what you’ve tried. Do you have favorite framing tricks or tools you carry with you? Let’s keep the conversation going—drop a comment below, tag me on Instagram @californialover, or join us in the free Develop with Light Facebook group.
Let’s keep exploring—frame by frame.
With light and curiosity,
Ute