*For more information visit AdoramaTV YT page, and of course you can keep up with David on Instagram and Twitter @DavidBergman. Find out more at http://www.AskDavidBergman.com

With help of the great and powerful photographer David Bergman we’re going to talk about  placement of your subject in the frame,  and the impact that it has on your  images.”

Mr. Bergman states: “When you first started taking  pictures of people, you probably just had  the person in the middle of the frame  looking straight at the camera.” 

“Looks great that way, but it’s  pretty standard framing. It’s obvious  that she’s having her picture taken, and  that’s what we’re used to seeing. There’s  a connection between the subject and the  camera, which of course translates to the  viewer, but we can add a little interest  to the photo by altering her placement  just a little bit, by putting violet on  the left side of the frame, and having  her look to the right, it changes the  feel of the whole image.”

“Now there’s no  interaction between her and the camera,  and it’s a bit more voyeuristic. She’s  not paying attention to the photographer  at all, and is looking at something else.  I moved her out of the center, so that  there’s some room for her to look into  the frame, and of course this works on  the other side as well.” 

“This framing is particularly useful if  we can see what she’s doing, or what  she’s looking at. Now to create the most  tension in the image, let’s put violet on  the left side of the frame, and have her  look out of the image to the left. When  you have your subject looking off the  frame, it’s disconcerting, because we have  no idea what she’s looking at, or what’s  going on outside of the frame.”

“There’s  also all that dead space on the other  side isn’t being filled, and it just  makes you wonder why it looks that way.  Something’s not quite right, use this  technique when you want to add some  drama, or intrigue to your image.”

“At the  end of the day this is all about taking  control of the feel of your photographs.  Of course exposure and lighting are all  very important, but don’t forget that you  can subliminally alter the feeling of your  images, by carefully placing your subject  where you want them for maximum impact!”  

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Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV: