Photography in the Abstract

Exposed Frames

Exposed frames! They’re like dark frames, but more complicated, and therefore easier to mess up. Today we’ll look at a couple different ways to use them. As always with Photography in the Abstract, we’ll ask ourselves:

How can we use exposed frames to take great pictures?

— Multi-Object Frames —

In the last post, I showed how we can use multiple objects to construct a dark frame. It was cool, but not that cool. The viewer may not even know that there’s more than one frame object (because it’s all black). By exposing the frame we get the interesting frame shape and interesting multi-object interaction.

This is my favorite picture in this article. It’s taken from the back of a little tuk tuk. The frame is rusty metal + window to driver + driver’s neck. I’m not quite sure why the subject (license plate) works, but it does, right? I love the amount of human that is showing.

Guangzhou | China

Pipe + Box + Tarp = Frame. Pictures like this really are taken for the frame, not the subject. This kind of multi-object frame finding is a fun task for the visual mind. Walking around a city, looking at objects and their neighbors, asking, “What is your frame combo?”

Harbin | China

Technically, this picture is not multi-object. It’s one wall with three elements. White outside + red brick inside (on left) + black ceiling (on top…scroll up).

Blurry Frame + Sharp Human

These pictures use non-human out-of-focus (oof) frames to emphasize the human sharpness.

Dude is looking at us. Random dude without dark fuzzy frame doesn’t invoke such an intense human element. Also, left side grate adds nice balance.

Kaiping | China

Hexagonal frame. Wish they were looking at me. Damn kids!

Xi’an | China

Cutting hair. Frame is cray. Kind of like a crab claw. It is part of an abandoned old car. Bonus when taking frame pictures: You can hide behind the frame (abandoned old car) without worrying about what your subject thinks of you taking their picture. Sketchy? Yes. Room for more discussion? Yes. Now? No.

Tibetan District | Chengdu | China

Frame-Subject Connection

In these pictures, the frames are an extension of the subject (or vice versa). Related to the final OOF type here: https://lindmarkrhys.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/out-of-focus/

Lots of rocks.

Suzhou | China

Towers just look cool. Great UNESCO World Heritage site. Because of 1900's immigration patterns, a cool mix of Western and Eastern architectural styles. I took this picture from a nearby tower (this is an easy way to take frame = subject pictures).

Diaolou Towers | Kaiping | China

From the same location. This one connects the textures and colors more than the shapes. (Though in both there’s still a feeling of “up”.)

Diaolou Towers | Kaiping | China

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed learning about exposed frames, you can check out dark frames here: https://medium.com/@RhysLindmark/photography-in-the-abstract-ed1d7cfeff83