This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.

Frame Within A Frame: Easy Ways To Improve Your Composition

BySam

This article is all about the composition technique of a frame within a frame in landscape photography, and how to use it to improve your photos.

Landscape photography is all about presenting what you see in a way that resonates with the viewer, and the frame within a frame technique is a great way to improve your storytelling.

The use of frames within frames can enhance the most mundane scene and draw the viewer’s attention to the main subject.

You can also add depth and context to your imagery by doing this.

It’s not complicated, but it’s like an old friend that you can count on more often than you might imagine.

In this article, we’ll look at how you can use framing in your landscape photography and get you started on improving your composition.

Before we get started, I wanted to share my FREE Landscape Photography Toolkit with you.

 It’s packed with practical tips and checklists to help you capture beautiful scenes with more confidence, starting NOW!

Promotional graphic for a 'Landscape Photography Toolkit' featuring a sunset view of a lighthouse. The toolkit includes an Exposure Quick Start Guide, 7 Practical Checklists & Info Sheets, and an On-The-Go Camera Settings Cheat Sheet. A 'Free Download' badge is present, and a button at the bottom reads 'Send Me The Toolkit'.

A Note on Composition

Just before we get into framing specifically, I just wanted to touch on how important composition is in landscape photography. 

Composition is basically where you place the elements of your scene in your photo. It’s one of the key ingredients to telling a story with your image.

To quote Photography Life, Composition is “simply the arrangement of the elements in your photo.”

It’s often argued whether light or composition is more important for making compelling images, and there’s no simple right or wrong. 

As far as I’m concerned, both are game changers when it comes to taking an image from ok to great.

You can have great light, but you’re not telling a story with your composition, then the image will just be ok.

The same with composition. You can’t always be photographing with great light, but you still can make a compelling image with your composition.

It’s one thing to have a photo that’s perfect from a technical perspective. Your image can be well exposed, and you have an interesting subject, but it’s the composition that can have a huge visual impact.

There are various compositional techniques that you can either use alone or combine for more interesting images. 

This article focuses specifically on framing, but check out this article for more composition tips and techniques: 

Coastal scene at sunrise with a watchtower on a rocky outcrop, accompanied by the text "Top Composition Techniques for Better Landscape Photos" at the bottom.

What Is The Frame Within A Frame Composition Tool

While you ‘frame’ every photo when you are taking shots, here I am referring to composing a photo where you place your subject within a ‘frame’ inside your image.

By using frame within a frame in your landscape photography, you are using a composition technique that helps you direct your viewer’s attention directly to your subject.

You can use a number of different natural elements to frame your composition such as trees, mountains and valleys, along with man made objects including architecture, fences, bridges and arches etc. 

Opportunities to  use framing in your landscape photography are literally everywhere!

Composition is one of the key foundations to focus on when first learning photography.  This is because having an interesting composition can really transform your images.

Why Using Frame Within A Frame is Effective

The purpose of using a frame is to draw the viewer’s eye to what you are trying to highlight, but it also has the added bonus of making your photo more interesting. 

In short, it makes for a more compelling image.

By framing your subject, you also provide a strong foreground element to enhance your composition’s visual impact.

Using frames in your composition also helps to create a sense of depth into your photos. This is a real bonus in your photography as it helps to give a three dimensional effect into your two dimensional image.

Let’s look at the 3 main reasons to use this technique in your photography.

1 – Direct The Viewer’s Eye To The Main Subject

The main purpose of using a frame within a frame is to lead the viewer through your image in either a specific direction, or towards your main subject.

In the image below the trees that are framing the building are also acting as leading lines to draw the viewer to look through to the old building. 

A small wooden cabin is framed by vibrant autumnal foliage and towering, bare trees under a cloudy sky, evoking a sense of solitude and rustic charm in a remote forest setting. Location, Arrowtown, New Zealand

2 – Give The image A Unique Context And Perspective

A real benefit of using framing in your composition is that it can put a unique twist on what would otherwise just be an average image.

For example, using natural frames like leaves and trees will help you place the subject in your scene and help visually describe the area that you are in.

In the example below this could have just been an image of a lighthouse. But by shooting it from inside the ruin of the original keeper’s building it gives a unique slant and context to the image.

A white lighthouse is framed perfectly within a stone window of an ancient, weathered structure, basking in the warm glow of golden hour, highlighting the contrast between the old ruins and the modern lighthouse.

3 – Provide Depth In Your Image

Perhaps the best reason of all is to give your image depth.

By depth I mean giving the illusion of a three-dimensional view in a two-dimensional photograph.

This helps to engage the viewer to actively explore the scene instead of just observing it, as depth makes your image more interesting.

One simple way to do this is like the example below. In this image there are multiple frames within the photo.

Each level of the building is a frame within the level above it until you get to the shoppers at the bottom level.

A grand, circular interior shot of an ornate building, taken from above, showcasing intricate tiled floors, arched walkways, and people going about their day, all framed by the railing of the upper level.

Frame Within A Frame Composition In Practise

Using Natural Elements In Framing Your Landscape Photography

Nature generously provides us with many options of natural frames to use in your landscape photography.

Some of these elements include mountains, trees, branches, rocks, and riverbanks are just a few to get you started.

Here are a couple of examples:

A cascading waterfall in the midst of lush, vibrant green ferns and dense forest vegetation, framed naturally by the surrounding foliage, creating a hidden, tropical paradise.
A coastal landscape framed by a natural rock archway, looking out over tide pools and the distant horizon at sunset, with warm light reflecting off the rugged rock surfaces

Man Made Framing To Enhance Your Landscape Photography

Utilising man made objects or structures is a great way to add depth, contrast and interest to your photos.

Elements such as windows, buildings, doors, fences, arches, bridges, tunnels – the list really is endless – all can be used to make a frame inside your photos:

The turbulent waters of the ocean crash against the remnants of a decaying pier, with the beams of the structure leading the eye towards the horizon under a moody, stormy sky.
The interior of a historic building is reflected in the glossy surfaces of escalators, capturing the intricate details of its architecture, with people moving through the space, creating a dynamic and layered composition

Using Light And Shadow As A Framing Tool

Frames don’t just have to be physical objects.

Pockets of light and shadow can also act as frames. If your subject is in a patch of light surrounded by shadow, the shadow becomes your frame.

Similar to this is a technique known as vignetting you can apply in your post-processing.

By applying a vignette you draw the viewer’s eye from the edges of your frame to the subject.

The same goes with using a shallow depth of field. This shallow depth of field can be because only the main subject is in focus and the rest blurred. That is your framing.

A car drives through a narrow, misty forest road, with tall, dark trees arching over it, creating an eerie and mysterious atmosphere as the road disappears into the fog.

Full or Partial Framing Can Both Work

When thinking about framing, note that it doesn’t have to be a complete frame surrounding your subject.

In the image below it’s just a corner and yet it still frames the old jetty and leads the viewer’s eye to where the main subject is.

Frames can also be curved, honestly anything can be used to form a frame – as long as it is used for a purpose and makes sense in your image.

An old, dilapidated pier juts out into the ocean, framed by large, rugged rocks, with the calm, cloudy sky hinting at the end of the day, creating a mood of abandonment and quietude.

Tip: One thing to make sure of though – when using the frame within a frame technique, make sure that your main subject is sharp and in focus. As this is the ‘hero’ of your image, and where you’re directing your viewer’s eye, it needs to be super sharp.

Conclusion

So, this article was all about using a frame within a frame to improve your landscape photography – I truly hope it has given you some inspiration.

Just like using the Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, and many of the compositional tools you will learn about, a frame within a frame is just that, a tool.

But having this tool in your kit is a great one to add to your knowledge kit, and it’s pretty easy once you start seeing them.

There are a number of ways and no hard and fast rules when it comes to incorporating framing in photography.

Also note that it’s not used only in landscape photography, it’s a technique that can be used in all genres of photography.

So start looking around to see where you might be able to incorporate framing into your images.

That’s it for now – Keep Clicking

Other Helpful Articles:

Sam is the creator of joywithphotography.com, a website dedicated to helping newbies Discover the joy of learning landscape photography – without the overwhelm. Based in Australia, Sam combines her passion for photography to bring you tips, insights and experiences to help you take better photos without all the technical jargon so you enjoy the journey.

Related Posts