How to frame the unexpected
The frame is key to street photography, and can drastically affect how successful an image is
The frame – a tiny little rectangle or little square, as described by course tutor Peter van Agtmael – is key in photography. What you include or exclude, how you position yourself
and your subject within this limited space, can drastically affect how successful an image is.
For street photographers, this is especially true and challenging: the scene in front of you is constantly evolving in infinite ways, from people entering and leaving the frame, to their expressions changing. Much of this is out of your control; but by inserting yourself into the action, reacting to what is around you, you can improve your chances of finding yourself in the right places at the right moment to (with some luck) capture something remarkable. Consider how you compose and structure the image to create, as Richard Kalvar says, something that feels satisfying. This requires a combination of quick calculations, focus, and awareness.
What makes a photograph good?
This is a difficult question. Although there are some fundamental guidelines – for example, the Rule of Thirds, Golden Rule, Leading Lines and so on – even if you execute your photography to so-called technical perfection, there is no guarantee this will result in an engaging image. What is often cited as the key component to a successful photograph is, as Susan Meiselas describes, an emotional connective point, in combination with a strong sense of form.
Seeking the unexpected How can you find and capture unexpected, surprising or moving moments? When we view the work of some of the great street photographers in monographs or portfolios, it seems as though something incredible was unfolding in front of them whenever they hit the streets. The reality is that these photographers have dedicated a huge amount of time to making pictures, and we end up seeing only a tiny fraction of what they have photographed. You need to be patient, work hard and keep going, even when it isn’t working.
When my eye aligns with the scene in front of me and everything comes together perfectly, there’s no greater feeling than that Peter van Agtmael