The Life in My Years

This week Patti Moed has issued the challenge to share images using the technique of framing. But Patti’s challenge is a little more, uhh, challenging.

She writes, “This week, we’re focusing on one technique: framing the shot using the 3 grounds (or layers)—the foreground, the middle ground, and the background.

Foreground: the part of the scene that’s closest to the camera. Think of it as the introduction to the scene and an invitation for the viewer to explore the image.
Middle Ground: the central area of your image, between the foreground and the background. It’s often where the main subject is located.
Background: the farthest point from the viewer. It provides the context and completes the visual “story.”

Not quite so simple as just shooting through an arch at a distant building. It took some searching but I think I managed to come up with three.

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I got out of our hotel before dawn to capture some photos of Old Quebec City before the hordes came out. The photo below uses Saint-Jean Gate as a frame. The middle ground is Rue Saint-Jean and the old buildings, and the background is the yellow light of dawn.

One of my favorite places to photograph is San Francisco’s North Beach; the old Italian District (Though there aren’t many old Italians left. Nor many young ones either). The drill is to go to Caffe Trieste for an Americano and a pastry, roam the neighborhood with the camera and then go to Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store for an eggplant sandwich on focaccia.

I especially like alleys. It was the morning after a rainy night when I looked down Jaspar Place, a one block alley between Union and Green Streets. I liked the gritty look of the dirty street with the potholes filled with rainwater, and the trash cans that make up the foreground. The middle ground is the Victorian on Green Street, while in the background are the twin spires of St. Peter and Paul Church under a cloudy sky. The entire scene is framed by the buildings in the alley. Now, time for the sandwich.

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Sometimes an image is the result of blind luck. Sometimes it’s hard work. I was out for an early morning run through the Washington Mall. Aside from being a good time to run, it’s also a good opportunity to see the monuments without the intrusion of thousands of people. Since the purpose was running and not photography I had my phone, which I rarely use when I want to take what I would call a quality photo.

When I got to the Reflecting Pool, I was actually on the end with the Washington Monument. I stopped to take in the view and saw the clouds reflecting in the water but the shot was really not that great from where I was standing. Good lighting, particularly at dawn and dusk doesn’t last long. That was the lucky part (along with a windless morning that made the pool a perfect mirror). The hard work was the sprint to the other end of the pool where I wanted to take the picture from. And yes the Reflecting Pool is very long.

The frame/foreground are the clouds in the sky and reflecting in the water. The middle ground is the pool which also happens to be framed by the trees on either side. The background is the Washington Monument and its reflection with the morning light in the far background. (This photo has been in the challenge before).

To see Patti’s take on framing (along with a better explanation), visit her site by clicking here. Then scroll down to the comments section where there are links to other contributors’ sites.