Review: A Deeper Frame by David du Chemin

David du Chemin is a photographer whose work I started following about 2 years ago. I started with his traditional book Within the Frame which I read cover to cover in practically one sitting. His teachings are not about the technical, and how you need to get more gear to get the perfect photograph – in fact most times, just the opposite. I was enthralled, and am keen to read anything du Chemin puts out, and follow his blog as well. So, with his new ebook “A Deeper Frame” being just released this week and I’d like to give you my review of his latest work. I have read several of his other ebooks on the Craft & Vision site as well, and A Deeper Frame is a nice addition and extension of what he’s already created.

Creating Depth Draws Reader Into The Image

“A Deeper Frame” is basically about adding or creating depth in our images such that the viewer, or reader as du Chemin refers to them, is drawn into the image and wants to hang around for a while looking at it. He puts it this way, “like the author, what we want is to create a story the reader will want to read again”. As a photographer I’d like to have more of that, so I read further.

This ebook is a quick read, but it’s got valuable and thought provoking material. I expect no less from David du Chemin whose writing is highly acclaimed in the photography world. He explains why he wrote this book, and I find this sums it up – “to create more engaging one-frame stories”. Again with the writing or story reference, but if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. The viewer really is “reading” our image, and what better compliment can a photographers get then for someone to want to purchase one of our images for their home because they want a chance to read it over and over again.

7 Steps To Create Depth In A Photograph

The main body of the ebook goes on to cover the seven steps or ways to create depth in a photograph. They are:

1. perspective (how often it’s over looked and under used)
2. frame cubed (using foreground, middle ground and background for depth)
3. optics (the actual lens physics and how important angle of view and lens selection are)
4. deeper focus (using focus as a tool to imply spatial relationship of the scene and subject)
5. depth through colour (how colour and contrast can be used to create depth)
6. depth through light (how light can create a 3D appearance of shapes, or flatten a scene)
7. deeper emotions (creating images that touch as at a deeper level)

Moving From The HOW to the WHY of Photography

In conclusion of this A Deeper Frame review I’d like to add that even after 24+ years as a professional photographer, I find David du Chemin’s books engaging, challenging to photographers of all skill and experience levels. Because for the most part, he moves us away from thinking about the “how to” or technical stuff and into the realm of “why?”! What story do YOU want to tell with your images? Get this eBook “A Deeper Frame” and put some thought into it. I did!