Frame Your Bird to Show Dynamic Movement

^{Note: This tip comes from Digital Photography School’s article- How to Capture Amazing Bird Photography Compositions.}

In this Tip newsletter, let’s discuss a composition element known as a ‘frame break.’

Tip #1—When a subject is moving or has eyes and is looking in a direction (not at the camera), good composition calls for more space in front of the subject than behind.

The bird in the image above moves from right to left in the frame. However, when the photographer organized his composition, he put less space in front of the bird and more behind it. This is a ‘frame break.’

The same photographer took this image but created a better composition with no frame break.

Tip #2 – Properly organizing the composition in bird photography without a frame break also adds to the sensation of movement.

Most bird photos have some empty space in the frame. And when they do, you want to point the bird into the empty space rather than away from it.

Ensuring the bird is looking into the empty space adds a sense of completeness to the shot and a sense of motion. The viewer’s eye follows the bird’s line of sight, and everything feels satisfying. This is referred to as the Rule of Space.

The whole shot feels tense if you point the bird out of the frame. The viewer wants to know what’s outside the frame, and there’s no resolution.

That’s why bird photographers love to point the bird into the frame! It’s a great way to keep the image satisfying and engaging.

Tip #3 - However, leaving too much negative space (even when correctly placed in front) can make a photograph appear lopsided, as in the example above.

This example photo follows the frame break rule but is well balanced in every direction around the subject.

Tip #4 – If multiple birds are in the scene, your composition choices should highlight one bird or group of birds as the primary subject area within the frame. It is from that point that you organize your frame break options.

Tip #5 – If a bird moves directly toward the camera, this removes the frame break consideration unless the bird is looking off to one side or the other.

Want more? If you want to learn more about bird photography, and capture beautiful shots of your own, we recommend downloading and printing out Photzy’s 10 Bird Photography Cheat Sheets (Special bonus available now!)