What do photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, Joel Meyerowitz, and accredited street photographers have in common? That’s right, they utilize framing to compose their shots. Though I was just recently introduced to framing as a photographic concept myself, I have quickly come to appreciate how it enhances and adds complexity to a photograph.

What are frames? Yes, they are the physical borders commonly found around flat works of art, but they are also elements present in many street photographers’ works. You can think of a frame as any enclosed shape you can identify in a photograph. A frame, in photography, is especially effective when used to bring attention to a subject.

Framing is an important aspect of street photography—it leads the viewer’s eyes to the subject. It is possible to have multiple frames or even a frame within a frame in a single photo:

And frames don’t necessarily have to rectangular either. You can see in this photo that the doorman is framed in the doorway, and his head is framed within the elliptical (circular) molding on the ceiling inside the building.

Here is another example of a non-rectangular frame:

Joel Meyerowitz has his subject framed by the car doors, front seat, and front window.

How exactly do achieve a good frame? Often with the spontaneity of a moment framing comes as at a last moment thought when trying to capture a shot. However, it is possible to identify and stage a frame before capturing a photo.Take a look at one of Dylan E. Richards’ recent photos:

For this photo he was able to identify a frame in the barred window and wait until his subject entered his selected frame.

Street photographers aren't necessarily looking for frames before they capture a moment though this can sometimes be the case. Once framing is introduced to a photographer it begins to become a subconscious thought with experience. Henri Cartier-Bresson nearly perfected the mindset of framing:

Have you spotted all of the frames yet? You probably saw the obvious frame in the window with the man looking outward, but did you notice the the seated man’s head framed by the shadow? What about the hat framed by the shadow as well? There are certainly more frames than the instances I’ve listed.

In many photographs you can find frames without trying too hard. After all, the criteria for framing is generous.

In this photo the man with the pipe is framed by the scaffolding and the reflection of the scaffolding that appears in the window. The man sitting inside is framed by the window and his head, though obstructed by the reflection in the window, is framed by the reflection.