What is "Active Framing?"

Hello Photo.net,

 

I am in a photography class and missed a day this week. I have to take a photo

over the weekend that captures the concept of "Active Framing." What the heck

is that? Can anyone please help?! Thanks!

No clue. How about contacting your instructor?

Is it not where you compose the image so that one part (i.e. main subject) stands out from the rest. Rather than just cropping close to the main subject, the rest of the image impact is reduced through, for example, using a shallow DOF to focus on the subject or by having the subject positioned in the frame in a dominant position. I think.

 

Dr Greg Battye, Head of the School of Creative Communication, said of some photography by David McClenaghan....

"Each picture is the full, original frame, composed not by the post-capture cropping of 'superfluous' material from the two-dimensional image, but by active framing of the three-dimensional space at the time of making the exposure. This is the discipline of the frame; the stamp of highly-developed practice that sharply distinguishes photography from other forms of image making. It is with this act of disclipline framing that the flux of the subject world - a continuous blur of confused movement in time and space - is transformed into these vivid, crsip moments that so effectively encapsulate their subjects, and position them not merely as arbitrary samples, but as visual and conceptual ideals."

(ref http://www.abitflash.com/exhibition.htm )

 

I think what it's saying is that you don't need to fill the frame with your subject (as so many people think you need to do), but rather make your subject stand out within the frame - i.e. use the surroundings within the frame to actually frame the subject.

Yes, I agree, that is creative communication, aka gobblygook. And exactly what is the difference between cropping superfluous material and subduing superfluous material other than having more space around the main subject? Superfluous material, or as I generally refer to is "elements," is still superfluous.

I think the frame changes everything. It is the most important element of composition for me. It is that one thing that separates your subject from reality.

>>> What is "Active Framing?"<P>

 

It's very similar in principle to the electronic <a href=

"http://www.chevrolet.com/pop/corvette/2007/active_handling_en.jsp">Active

Handling</a> systems found on some high-performance cars which takes over vehicle

control when the driver does something dumb and is about to lose it going too fast in the

turns.<P>

 

With a similarly configured camera, if you point your cam at statues, mimes, boat marinas,

homeless people, or puppy dogs, it will gently apply a 10 KV shock through the camera

grips to encourage the operator to just say no and seek better subject material.

I think it's what we used to call "not cropping".

"I think what it's saying is that you don't need to fill the frame with your subject (as so many people think you need to do), but rather make your subject stand out within the frame - i.e. use the surroundings within the frame to actually frame the subject."

 

Gee, is that anything like "composition"?

 

Actually, I think I like Brad's explanation best....:-))

Matthew, I wonder if when you get back to class and chat with your tutor about this 'active framing' assignment, you could report back to this forum and tell us what was meant by that almost ambiguous turn of phrase..apart from using the frame as an aid to proper or improper composition.

At the moment I'm sitting here doing some active breathing - you know, where is is actively being drawn into my lungs and then exhaled, as opposed to the other sort of breathing!

Brad,

 

I met a homeless dog down at the boat marina the other day. I think he used to belong to someone who was a mime as he was able to pretend he a statue trapped in a box.

 

If I had taken his photo, would I have been killed outright, or would the shocks have been successive for each offense?

er, "pretend to be"

 

Sorta screwed the pooch on that one...