Why do pictures look better in picture frames??  Why do you place one or two or three mats around a picture in a picture frame?

The answer is easy:  You want the viewer to be attracted to your picture.  Why do these objects make your picture more attractive.  Because your picture is INSIDE of them.  They direct your viewer's eyes into the frame/mat so that the picture becomes more obvious.  You don't normally frame a picture so the viewer will say: "what a nice frame"! 

The same premise holds true IN the picture.  Using objects to "frame" your subject so your viewer doesn't have to search for the subject.  In the following picture, the subject is clearly the vertical rock.  The tree in the foreground adds interest and "frames" the rock.  There's a comfortable symmetry.

Framing can also be vertical as in the following picture.  The trees on either side of the cliff takes your eye directly to the subject.

In the following picture, the steeple is framed by some of the architecture below it.

The trees on the left and bottom frame this nicely as do the clouds.  Together they draw your eyes to the snow-covered mountain.

 

Try to "frame" your subject whenever possible.  It will help draw the viewer's eyes to your subject as well as add interest to your pictures.