002 Extending Beyond the Frame

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In my last discussion about cropping my goal was to hold the viewers eye in the photo. But what if you want to make a big impact on the viewer then force the eye to another part of the piece? Extending beyond the frame may be a good solution. Although the subjects body is in the shape of a triangle pointing right, the arm, foot and direction he's facing overpowers the eye and moves it left. The action is coming towards the viewer, and with the body extending outside the frame, this action is amplified. This movement provides a great focal point, and leads the eye into the secondary information.

I choose the most dynamic photo I can find for my scrapbook page and decide on the proper crop. I want the eye to move from the face down through the body and out the left side of the image, using the arm and leg for movement. Like the first cropping example this photo has too much unnecessary background information and is too close to the left side of the frame.

Below, notice how I use the rule of thirds again to place the subject on the right vertical line. Like the first cropping example, there is much less information in the three boxes to the left com paired to the other 6 boxes. I don't recommend that you draw a rule of thirds box on every photo, nor do I when working on a scrapbook or design, just be aware of it - don't be afraid to break the rule either.

Once your crop is decided use an exacto knife or your software to cut out the unwanted parts of the image. Notice on the third image that I placed a black piece of paper under the photo before I cut it out, so I could offset the black paper to create a drop shadow.

Then place the photo onto the page and position your secondary information. This effect works very well for action shots, people, pets and moving objects. Remember the viewers eye wants to follow in the direction of movement. Use this fact to your advantage. Also the viewers eye wants to move in the direction the subject is looking or facing. Use background to your advantage to keep the viewer in the photo or to push the viewers eye somewhere else.

Tips for extending outside the frame
• Don't extend too far – a little goes a long way
• Extend around hard lined objects – not around hair or blurred photos
• Background is very important – don't cut too much out.
• Extending is a great tool for pushing an eye into a headline
• Dropshadows work well with extending images – back the photo up with black paper, cut through both with an exacto knife and offset the paper on your scrapbook page.
• Draw a rule around the edge of the photo but not where the image is popping out.

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Next week "Offsetting your image"