During my recent visit to the Rock of Dunamase I spent ages shooting photos through chinks and windows in ruined walls which created interesting frames for the views beyond. I do love a good framing opportunity and admit I don’t seek them out often enough. There are always windows. tunnels, doorways, low hanging branches and strategically positioned people and trees just begging to be used as a frame to draw attention to the main subject of your photo. Frames can add layers and depth, give a photo context and also add mystery; what lies hidden can fire the imagination and draw the viewer in. Here are a few framed photos I’ve taken on my travels, beginning with a very literal frame – looking out an ancient window in the walls of the lighthouse at Hook Head.
An extraordinary garden design, perfectly framing the dome of St. Peter’s basilica in Vatican City – even more extraordinary, the whole vista is framed by the tiniest of apertures – a solitary keyhole in a gate to the Villa del Priorato dei Cavalieri di Malta on top of the Aventine in Rome – through which this photograph was taken.
My favourite kind of framing is to find reflections in puddles surrounded by interesting surfaces, in this case fabulous cobblestones in Rome’s Piazza Navona.
Light seeps into the entrance of Ape Cave on the slopes of Mount St Helens.
The fiery furnaces of Tacoma’s Museum of Glass – the glow was so fierce it make everything around it look black by comparison, creating the perfect frame around the delicate glass being formed in the fires.
Last but not least, the stunning windows carved into the car tunnels running through Zion National Park, framing just about the most glorious vistas on this planet. Can you tell how much this place moved me? Must. Go. Back.
I hope you’re in the frame of mind to come up with your own interpretation of this week’s theme. If you would like to join in (everyone’s welcome!) here’s what to do:
- Create your own post and title it Travel theme: Frame
- Include a link to this page in your post so others can find it too
- Get your post in by next Thursday, as the new travel theme comes out on Friday
- Don’t forget to subscribe to keep up to date on the latest weekly travel themes. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.
xxx Ailsa
Art consists of limitation. The most beautiful part of every picture is the frame. – Gilbert K. Chesterton
Each man should frame life so that at some future hour, fact and his dreaming meet. – Victor Hugo
Where's my backpack? 