Standard “rules” of composition exist mainly to keep a
viewer’s eyes moving around on a work, and to not let them get tripped up
someplace or led off the work. It’s
an orchestration that, when done to perfection, causes the four corners to
disappear, and attention to dance around freely inside.
But that’s how the standard rules work. Less standard compositions might make
the viewer very aware of the frame.
A person moving into the frame—or out of it—is a good example.
There is another possible impact of non-standard framing,
though. One that goes beyond mere awareness
or non-awareness of the frame. I’m
calling it “feeling the frame.”
Basically, a viewer of a photo either feels the presence of
the photographer or doesn’t. One
is objective, the other subjective.
Even if the subject’s looking into the lens, there may or may not be a
feeling of the photographer being there.
Feeling the frame is when a viewer of a photo feels like he or she is actually
the one looking through the viewfinder at the subject. It’s an immediate, emotional
connection.
Since I’ve only just come up with this concept, I don’t have
a lot to say about what creates the feeling (or what doesn’t). It does seem, though, like getting
close and not using a telephoto is one element. And not having static, posed poses is another. But really all I know now is, I notice
a different type of feeling with some of my photos, and plan to think about it
some more.
Here are a couple of examples (I hope):
The eye contact is part of it, but so is the presence of it.
Again, eye contact, but in a natural way, like pausing to look, rather than "posed" eye contact.
