Framing in photography refers to the technique of drawing focus to the subject in the photo by blocking other parts of the image with something in the scene. Frames can be located in the center of the picture or alongside its edges. They can span over all four sides of the photo or encompass just one or two edges of the image. Though its main goal is to attract the viewer's eye to the main subject of the image there are quite a few benefits of framing. 

This article has some great examples of framing techniques being used in photography.

A medium shot, also called a mid-shot or waist shot, is a type of camera shot in film and television that shows an actor approximately from the waist up. A medium shot is used to emphasize both the actor and their surroundings by giving them an equal presence on screen. The director of photography uses a medium shot to clearly show the actor's face and emotions while still informing the audience of what’s going on in the world around them.

1. Medium close-up shot: somewhere between a close-up shot and a medium shot, showing the subject from the chest or shoulders up and not revealing a lot of the surrounding environment.

2. Medium shot: somewhere between a close-up and a wide shot, showing the subject from the waist up while revealing some of the surrounding environment.

3. Medium long shot: somewhere between a medium shot and a full shot, showing the subject from the knees up. Also called a ¾ shot.

4. Over-the-shoulder shot: the camera is positioned behind or over the shoulder of one subject while the other subject is still visible on screen, emphasizing the connection between the characters.

5. Two-shot: two subjects appear side by side or facing one another in a single frame.

6. Point of view shot: shows the action through the eyes of a specific character, essentially letting the audience become that character.

7. High-angle shot: Used to indicate the balance of power between characters. In high-angle shots, the audience looks down on the subject, giving the audience a sense of superiority.

8. Low-angle shot: Used to indicate the balance of power between characters. In low-angle shots, the audience looks up at the subject, giving the audience a sense of inferiority

Directors use medium shots for a number of reasons:

1. To simultaneously capture both details and scope. Medium shots highlight character details and the setting at the same time. Medium shots show the actor while still presenting them within the context of their world.

2. To capture multiple actors at once. The medium camera distance lends itself to capturing a group of actors. A medium shot is especially useful when filming dialogue because it’s cropped far enough away to include multiple people but cropped closely enough to reveal the actors’ reactions to a conversation.

3. To enhance body language. A wide shot is too far to detect subtleties in body language, and a close-up cuts it off completely. A medium shot is the ideal distance to capture an actor’s subtle physicality choices.

4. To transition back to another type of shot. Cutting from wide shots to extreme close-up shots without an intermediary shot is jarring to the audience. A medium shot acts as a stepping stone between shot types and allows for smoother transitions.

5. To let the actors play off their settings. When a script calls for an actor to use a prop or interact with their surroundings, a director typically uses a medium shot to place equal emphasis on the characters and their environment.

Close up photography refers to a tightly cropped shot that shows a subject (or object) up close and with significantly more detail than the human eye usually perceives. With close up photography, you reduce the field of view, increasing the size of the subject, and creating a tight frame around your selected shot. You can shoot close up photography from farther away with either a telephoto lens, a zoom lens, or any lens with a longer focal length. A lens with a shorter focal length, however, will capture a wider area, forcing you to move closer to your subject to snap it clearly (which can be difficult for photographing wildlife or insects). 

What Is Macro Photography?

Macro photography is a form of close-up photography, originally developed for scientific research. True macro photography is when you photograph a subject at 1:1 magnification—in other words, the subject appears closer to life-size in the photo. However, most people use the term “macro photography” to refer to any photograph that depicts a close-up and extremely detailed image of small things.

What Is Micro Photography?

Micro photography is a more extreme version of macro photography, exceeding macro capabilities with a magnification ratio of at least 5:1. Micro photography is the extreme close up version of shooting macro, using micro lenses (or attaching a DSLR camera to a microscope) for photographing objects smaller than what is possible to see with the naked eye, and capture with dedicated macro lenses.

How to Shoot Close-Up Photography: 6 Tips

Achieve close focus by decreasing the camera’s distance from the subject and letting it fill the frame. Figure out your minimum focal distance—which is the shortest working distance you can shoot at while still having a focused image. If you want to increase the amount of close up detail but have already reached your minimum focusing distance, you’ll need to make a few adjustments to your gear:

1. Add extension tubes or adjustable bellows. Extension tubes increase the distance between your camera’s sensor and the camera lens, increasing the image size as you get closer. The longer the extension tube, the closer the magnification. Adjustable bellows work in a similar fashion, however they are bigger and heavier than extension tubes, and not ideal for things like nature photography.

2. Implement a reverse lens. A reverse lens functions with the front element facing the camera body, and the rear element facing outward. This reverse technique results in the lens magnifying the image it sees, rather than making it smaller to capture. A reverse ring or other camera accessory may be required to implement this technique.

3. Use a close-up filter. A close up lens you can screw-in to the front of your dedicated macro lens is a cheap alternative to achieving higher magnification in your photos. However, these lenses are known to reduce the quality of your images.

4. Adjust your exposure. Aperture, ISO, and shutter speed are all camera settings you should keep in mind while capturing your close up shots. Using a small aperture for micro photography lets you adjust the depth of field, sharpening the focus of your subject while blurring the background. For ISO, a low value means less grain in your photos, but then you’ll also have to make sure the shutter speed is low too. However, a fast shutter speed means a crisper, sharper image, so adjust your settings accordingly depending on your subject and environment. Aperture, ISO, and shutter speed combined are known as the exposure triangle.

5. Reduce camera shake. Some macro photographers use digital cameras with a feature reducing camera shake (sometimes referred to as vibration reduction or image stabilization), keeping blur out of your photos—especially when shooting at low shutter speeds. You can also use a tripod to keep your camera steady while you snap your images.

6. Take plenty of shots. As with any photography method, the more photos you take, the more room you’ll have to experiment, and the more opportunities you’ll have to get the perfect shot. This is especially true of macro photography, where you may not get another chance to be so up close and personal with your subject.

The long shot, also known as the wide shot, is often times used as an establishing shot in a film, as it normally sets the scene and the character’s place within it. This type of camera shot, shows the full length of the subject while also including a large amount of the surrounding area of the film setting. Some of the most recognizable and iconic scenes in movies, are those that were shot as a long shot. Furthermore, when filming a movie solely from a distance that includes only long shots, it can give a sense of separation between the film itself and the audience. For example the 2019 Oscar winning film, Roma, was solely filmed in a series of long shots. This film technique causes the audience to feel isolated and like they are only allowed to be on-lookers into the story being presented to them, rather than being immersed in the narrative being told. 

An extreme close-up shot, is when the surface area of the frame is filled by a subject’s face. In other words, the subject is tightly framed, or shown in a relatively large scale, causing their face to be cropped within the frame. This type of shot is often referred to a choker as well, which is when a shot is framed just above the eyes and right below the mouth. Extreme close-ups are a powerful way to convey the emotion that your subject is feeling, without the need of the character saying much. Much like the use of a regular close-up shot, an extreme close-up can be used to guide the viewer’s eyeline and show them an object or motif that is pivotal to the narrative of the film. 

Taking the long shot one step further, the extreme long shot, or extreme wide shot, is when the view is so far from the subject that he/ she isn’t necessarily the focus anymore, but rather the surrounding area is. Also used as an establishing shot within a film, the extreme long shot, is designed to show the audience where the action is taking place. Furthermore, an extreme long shot can also be used to demonstrate the scale of what is going on in a scene. This type of shot is often used in war-type films, as they allow for a lot of the setting to be seen at once. 

Although close-up, medium, and long shots are the three pillars of basic camera shots, there are multiple variations of each shot that you can use in order to blend the effects of the different shots. For example, a medium close-up combines the effects and distance of framing of both a close-up and medium shot-- the same would go with a medium long shot, and so on.

What Is an Establishing Shot?

In filmmaking and television, an establishing shot lets the audience know the setting for the scene they’re about to watch. Setting includes place and often time—both time of day and potentially time in history. (Are there horses and buggies rolling around the streets? Or are there spaceships flying around in the background?)

• Establishing shots are usually only a few seconds long. Establishing shots set the stage for what’s about to happen. Thus, they don’t need to be longer than a few seconds.

• Establishing shots usually don’t include the characters. Most establishing shots focus on the setting in which the action takes place, not the characters.

• Establishing shots don’t include dialogue. Instead, they have accompanying music or sound effects.

• Establishing shots don’t evoke a lot of emotion. They might set up what emotion or mood the audience is about to see, but they’re more functional than emotionally expressive.

• Establishing shots might be stock footage. If a shot list calls for a basic establishing shot of contemporary Los Angeles, rather than tasking the crew with capturing aerial or skyline footage, stock footage could suffice.

• What Purpose Do Establishing Shots Serve?

Establishing shots can serve multiple purposes in a film, and there’s no one “right” way to shoot them. Most establishing shots help a director achieve one or several of the following:

• Transition to a new scene: An establishing shot sends a clear message that a new scene is starting.

• Reveal or clarify the scene’s location: Showing a recognizable landmark tells the audience where the story or the next scene is set. For example, the Empire State Building indicates the next scene takes place in New York City, or Big Ben indicates that it takes place in London. Establishing shots are especially helpful if the story jumps around from city to city.

• Ground the scene in time: Most establishing shots include a specific time of day. For example, a shot of the sun rising at the beach tells the audience that the next scene takes place on or near the ocean early in the morning.

• Give supporting details: Use of an establishing shot can also give the audience supporting details they might not have known about a setting otherwise. For example, in the Star Wars films, establishing shots reveal what different planets look like, what futuristic cities look like, and the different aircraft on which people travel through space.

• Underscore elements of the story. Establishing shots can be helpful if the details of the time or place are important to the story. In a movie about a star athlete, a training scene introduced by an establishing shot of the sun rise helps convey that the main character is committed to their training.

• Introduce a concept: An establishing shot can also introduce a concept or overall theme. For example, an opening shot of ballerinas pirouetting in a dance studio establishes a ballet theme.

Establishing shots are not always necessary, but when used well, they can help the filmmaker tell a more complete and coherent story.

What is an over the shoulder shot?

An over-the-shoulder shot (OTS) is a shot in which the camera is placed just behind an "off-screen" actor so that their shoulder is in the frame while you capture the "on-screen" actor's coverage. You can do this to orient your viewer, but an over-the-shoulder shot will also suggest a connection or understanding between the characters in your scene.

Why use an over-the-shoulder shot?

• Helps orient your viewer.

• Signal an understanding between characters. 

The overhead shot is a high angle shot almost directly (or literally directly) above the subject. It allows the viewer in on the action but still maintains character detail. 

If you want the viewer to feel that he or she’s part of the action, there’s no better way to engage him or her than to photograph from a point-of-view perspective. The viewer gets the feeling that he/she’s involved in the composition and becomes one with the subject. In the movie industry, they’re referred to as POV shots. Wide- and super-wide-angle lenses are the norm, as are low angles or those shot from unique or out-of-the-box perspectives. Ninety-nine percent of the time you won’t use a long lens to get the shot, nor will you be far away from the action. 

These can be used to give us an interesting perspective, for example to show an actor's feet as they dance or jump in a puddle. These can also be known as birds eye view or worms eye view.

What is a Dutch angle?

A Dutch angle (known as a Dutch tilt, canted angle, or oblique angle) is a type of camera shot that has a noticeable tilt on the camera’s “x-axis.” It’s a camera technique that was used by the German Expressionists in the 1920s — so it's not actually Dutch. Directors often use a Dutch angle to signal to the viewer that something is wrong, disorienting, or unsettling.

What to consider when planning a Dutch angle shot:

• The degree of your tilt

• The depth of field for your shot

• The vertical level of your view

As we explore the canted angle in detail, keep in mind that the Dutch angle shot does not live in a vacuum. Yes, Dutch angle shots look awesome and feel stirring. But it’s critical to introduce your canted angle in the right place, at the right time.

Consider the Dutch tilt within the context of your entire shot list. Every shot matters based on the relationship with the other shots in the scene. An oblique angle can skew the audience’s perspective, so they’re in the same mindset as the characters they’re watching on the screen.

You can use your Dutch angles in exciting scenes, like the one below from Harry Potter, to help raise the stakes of the action in progress. 

Static-

A static shot in film is a shot that is devoid of camera movement. ... The frame can be filled with the movement of vehicles, characters, props, weather, etc, but the frame itself does not move in a static shot. The opposite of a static camera shot, a shot in which the camera moves, is known as a dynamic shot.

Pan

Panning photography is a technique in photography that uses a slow shutter speed while moving your camera along to create motion blur in the background. With the right technique, you can create a relatively sharp subject combined with a background that features motion blur for a stunning photograph. 

Whip Pan

In cinema, a whip pan is a technique that uses a quick camera movement to create a blurry effect. In still photography, whip pan often refers to a technique that uses slow shutter speeds and quick movements to capture motion blur in a scene 

Tilt 

Tilt-shift photography was designed for and is still used for architectural photography.

It has also become closely associated with miniature-faking. ‘Miniature-faking’ is the process of making a photograph of a life-size location look like a photograph of a miniature scale model. This is done by blurring parts of the photo to simulate the shallow depth of field, which makes the miniature look like real-life close-up photography. The blurred effect can be done in-camera, or by digitally editing the photo. Photographers who practice miniature faking use the tilting function of the tilt-shift lens to create a high angle, creating the effect of looking down at the scene.

Tilt-shift lenses have two functions. The lens can tilt to varying angles to change a plane of focus or to maximise or minimise a depth of field. The lens can also shift up and down or side to side, to change perspective control, and to shoot panoramas.  

Tilt-shift lenses are excellent devices for shooting panoramas, as you don’t have to pan the camera. The shifting lens allows you to shoot three bracketed images of different areas, all while the camera remains static. You can then merge the composite images in Photoshop, to create the perfect panorama.

Track

In some scenes the camera will need to follow a moving object, this can be achieved by using a track and a slider to mount the camera on. This will allow the camera to move smoothly resulting in steady footage.

Dolly

A camera dolly is a wheeled cart or similar device used in filmmaking and television production to create smooth horizontal camera movements 

Crane

A crane is a mechanical tool used to elevate, swing, tilt and pan a camera by mounting it on the end of a jib. Camera Cranes provide the camera operator with a simple, easy to use, cost effective tool for putting your camera in motion and achieving a variety of angles and positions that are not usually easily obtained. 

Hand-Held

Hand-held camera or hand-held shooting is a filmmaking and video production technique in which a camera is held in the camera operator's hands as opposed to being mounted on a tripod or other base. 

Zoom

This is a technique which involves changing the zoom of the lens whilst recording to change the vantage point. It can be used to zoom in and highlight specific details or zoom out and reveal the setting.

Aerial

An aerial photograph, in broad terms, is any photograph taken from the air. Normally, air photos are taken vertically from an aircraft using a highly-accurate camera 

Drone 

Drone photography is using a remote-controlled aerial drone to take still images or video from the air. Piloting an unmanned craft by remote control can be complicated, but the resulting roll of drone-taken images is simply stunning. With altitude on your side, you’ll discover transformed landscapes and awe-inspiring views from a bird’s-eye view that photographers without a drone can’t access. 

Aspect ratio 

What is an aspect ratio, and how is it different from your image resolution? There’s so many different ratios to calculate, so how do you know which one is best for your photography? In this guide, we’ll show you the most common aspect ratios in Photography and break down the rules on when to use each aspect ratio.

Most photographers have a general idea of what we’re talking about when we discuss “aspect ratio,” but would be hard-put to define it in their own words. “It’s to do with the size of the image,” is what most people finally settle on. Well today we’re going to go in-depth about this term, so the next time you hear aspect ratio being discussed you can jump right in! (Hint: it’s not so much about size as it is about shape.)

What Exactly Is It, Though?

For any given photo, aspect ratio describes the proportional relationship between your image’s width and height. You can find aspect ratios that are commonly used in photography and film in many of the objects in the world around you. In fact, you needn’t look further than your TV screen (or computer) to find examples:

• Your old-school TV/computer display has a 1.33:1 aspect ratio (almost a square).

  • A ratio like this means the image on the screen may be smaller than it was originally, or the edges have been cut off so the image can fit onto your screen.

• Your TV (for example, those equipped with HDTV) has an aspect ratio of 16:9 (this is a widescreen format, where the width is just about twice as long as the height).

  • This type of ratio captures the effects of high definition technology to their fullest.

• Your local in-theater or home movie theaters typically have an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (widescreen CinemaScope format).

  • This ratio is specially designed to help you become immersed in the show.

Rule of thirds 

The rule of thirds is a compositional guideline that breaks an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so you have nine pieces and four gridlines. According to the rule, by positioning key elements along the gridlines, you’ll end up with better compositions.

Here is a visualization of the rule of thirds:

And to follow the rule, simply use the gridlines to position essential compositional elements.

So when shooting a flower, you would place its stem along the right or left vertical gridline:

Here is a useful resource on the rule of thirds...

https://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud/photography/discover/rule-of-thirds.html

Depth of field (deep and shallow focus)

Depth of field is the zone within a photo that appears sharp and in focus. In every picture, there is a point of focus (where you actually focus your lens). But there is also an area both in front of, and behind, your point of focus that also appears sharp – and that area corresponds to the depth of field.

The sharp zone will vary from photo to photo depending on different factors, such as aperture and distance to the subject .

So by adjusting your camera settings and your composition, you can determine the amount of your image that turns out sharp and the amount of your image that ends up blurry.

Images that are sharp from front to back are said to have a deep depth of field. A deep depth of field is popular in landscape photography, where you often want to show every little detail from the scene.

Here’s an example of a deep depth of field photo; notice how the sidewalk is sharp, the trees are sharp, and even the distant background appears sharp:

In a shallow depthof field image only a small part of the image is in focus, the rest appears blurry. Like in the image of the flower.

Focus Pulls

Focus pulling is a technique that is predominantly used in film. The camera operator changes the focal point of a scene while they are filming. Some teams have a dedicated focus puller for this process.

For example, the camera is focused on a subject in the foreground, and then the focus changes to the back of the room to a different subject – all in one shot.

This is something that can happen over a long or short period of time.

Warm 

To make an image appear warm we can change the colour balance to have more red than blue.

Cold

To make an image appear more cold we can change the colour balance to have more blue than red

Black and white

We can create black and white images very easily in modern digital imaging software such as Photoshop. We simply add the black and white adjustment layer and adapt it to create the image.

There’s something especially appealing about great black and white photography. It has a timeless quality to it. A black and white image can be striking, engaging, breathtaking, and definitely moody. So what can you do to visualize and create stunning black and white images? The fundamentals of photography will get you so far, but there are some additional techniques which will help you achieve outstanding black and white results quickly. In this quick-start beginner’s guide, you’ll discover ways you can start making great black and white photos today. 

Exposure

In photography, exposure is the amount of light which reaches your camera sensor or film. It is a crucial part of how bright or dark your pictures appear.

There are only two camera settings that affect the actual “luminous exposure” of an image: shutter speed and aperture. The third setting, camera ISO, also affects the brightness of your photos, and it is equally important to understand. Also, you can brighten or darken a photo by editing it in post-processing software like Photoshop on your computer.

It sounds basic, but exposure is a topic which confuses even advanced photographers. The reason is simple: For every scene, a wide range of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings will result in a photo of the proper brightness. You haven’t “mastered exposure” once you can take a photo that’s the right brightness. Even your camera’s Auto mode will do that most of the time. Instead, getting the proper exposure for a photo is about balancing those three settings so the rest of the photo looks good, from depth of field to sharpness.

Filters 

Filters are adjustments which can be added to an image to change their appearence. Traditionally filters are small pieces of glass which can be fitted to the lens of a camera. Filters can also be applied in post editing when using software such as Photoshop. Most mobile phones will now have inbuilt filters which can be applied to an image digitally.

green/blue screen

Green screens or blue screens are used as backdrops in chroma key photography, which is a process that replaces a solid-colored background from behind the subject of a photo (or video) with a new background. When you watch the weather forecaster on TV standing in front of a map, or Spiderman climbing down a building, you, my friend, are seeing chroma key photography at work!

You may be wondering, “Why use a green screen or a blue screen?” Because separating a background from a human subject in a photo or video is much easier if the background is made of a solid color which is not found in human skin tones, like the colors green and blue. (Remember, we’re talking humans here, not Martians or Smurfs.) The practice of chroma keying can seem daunting at first, so be sure to read through this guide to green screens to get started on the right track.

computer-generated imagery