Framed...

It struck me recently how often I use framing in my model railway photography and how important it can be in telling the story we're trying to communicate with our audience...

Let's take a look what a casual Google search throws up on the subject. Whilst Adobe might have you think Framing and the Rule of Thirds work together they neglect to mention the real reason we take photographs; to tell stories. I search again and I find something that better meets our needs. I will re-phrase it here for our own purposes:

Storytelling helps us bring our model to life by connecting with other modellers, friends, family and the general public through a more common language.

Framing is the process of emphasising some elements of the composition whilst downplaying others, to influence how our audience perceives the model - providing a sort of 'guide' to help others engage with our it.

This idea of 'framing' is not new - but I'd not realised quite how it can completely change the way in which a model railway is perceived. Often in our main-stream modelling press we do not find much framing, rather we see overview photos that swamp us with a view of everything that modeller has created, or contrived cameos busy with lots of distraction. Imagine a publication brave enough to show a layout of the month through just cropped, framed scenes? 

Perhaps the problem here isn't the lack of skill on behalf of the modeller or photographer, rather it is the fact they are often different people. As a (rather talented) example Chris Nevard takes wonderful photographs for Model Rail and Kernow, but do they feel 'on brand' with the magazine (perhaps his brand too?) and not personal to the layouts themselves? Just pause though and take a look at his other photography (especially some of the lovely period 80s slides he's been scanning recently) and you see a man with an immense talent for framing the composition in exciting ways - really conveying his passion for the craft AND the subject.

Thinking further would you perhaps say that I have a 'house style' on my own photography and presentation - rather than treating each layout as another story? Do my photographs guide you in to and around my creations? But what happens when I try and photograph others work? Personally, I feel I don't do it justice - I don't know their story. It is not always easy to find your way into someone else's model - however, what if I spent some time talking with them, what they were motivated by, driven by, inspired by - explaining their passion for the hobby, real trains or miniatures - would that allow me to take better photographs of their creations?

So if we understand that photography of our models is the story telling, and framing being a way to help others (even those hundreds of miles away behind a computer screen) engage with our work, then perhaps the message here is to have a go ourselves - let's take these photos of our own work, let's share them AND let's talk about what motivates us, what inspires us - less about how we did it - more about why!

To put my money where my mouth is I have begun a series of such photos on my own Instagram. This 'Framed' series hi-lighting different ways I have tried to bring different stories to life on my own layouts. In the meantime, do take a look at Chris's work too, and see if you can see what I mean about his wonderful period shots... a personal recent favourite is this one, gloriously mundane (who would have thought about capturing a humble DEMU back then?!) but one that tells a story of the every day, the walk in the countryside where the train lover in 'those of us who know' linger just a moment longer at a crossing, at a bridge, alongside an embankment in that vein hope that something more interesting may pass, yet still finding our hearts beating just a little faster when 'just another XXXYYYZZZ' passes by... 

It's been a while since I've managed one of these 'longer reads'. I hope you've enjoyed it. Until next time, more soon...

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