Slap a Border on it

Slap a Border on It
It’s great because you say it is.

By David Goeb

I’m a card-carrying Fuji guy. I shoot with the X100V, picked it up back in 2020 when I was living in Osaka, Japan. It’s a beautiful machine, and now everyone and their grandma has one thanks to influencers blowing it up on social media. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you shoot with. What matters is what you do with it.

Here’s the thing: too many of us are stuck in comparison mode. Scrolling Instagram. Flipping through photo mags. Seeing crisp street shots with dreamy colors and that soft-focus background you see in magazines. And then what? We look at our own shots and think, nah, not good enough. Maybe it was shot on an iPhone. Maybe the framing’s off. Maybe you’re just not there yet.

But here’s the truth: if you like it, it’s great.
No one else gets to decide that.

In fact, the way you put it out there will shape how people see your work.

Your shot tells a story. It caught your eye. It holds a moment. You liked the vibe enough to hit the shutter. That's what counts.

Still doubting?
Fine. Let’s make it official. Slap a border on it. Literally. Put a clean white border on the image, throw it up with confidence, and suddenly people see it differently. It’s not a random phone snap, it’s a photograph.

Really, that’s the only difference between you and them. They aren’t on another plane. What they are is confident. They’re slapping a border on it, posting it to whatever platform, and showing the world that what they have is great.

The border doesn’t make the photo better. You do. But the act of framing it out? That’s you saying, this deserves to be seen.

So stop apologizing. Stop downplaying.
Own your shot.
Be the artist.
Slap a frame on it.

David

P.S. After I wrote this, I got a text from my photographer buddy Kyle, after he flew from Japan to his hometown of Minneapolis. In his message, he sent a couple of pics. They looked great and immediately made me feel the ease of Midwest living.

I asked if he took them on his lovely Fuji X100F, and you know what he said?
Yeah, you guessed it. “iPhone snaps!”

But you know what Kyle did that made me imagine it was taken with his slick all-black Fuji, signature wrist strap wrapped tight, held to his eye, waiting for just the right moment?
Yes, you guessed it again.

He slapped a border on it.

Here are a couple of the shots Kyle sent me. He wasn't trying to knock my socks off or anything. He just wanted to give me a taste of home. And when I saw that tiny white border slapped on there, I assumed he took them on his Fuji. But alas, "iPhone snaps!"

But don't take my word for it.

Neither of these shots I took here are anything I would write home about, but the simple act of slapping a border on them adds that extra touch that makes it pop, and gives the impression that it's important that they are seen.