Composition Photos

Composition

The first step in great composition for a photo is determining what the subject of the photo is. One can’t compose the surroundings if we don’t know what we are supposed to be looking at right? With that try to not always go for the obvious subject to focus on.  Often times we get into such a funk of photographing the same thing, the same people, the same features on those people that we get lazy with our composition and don’t challenge ourselves to see a different photo from the same scenic stew.

One important thing when coming upon a scene is to visualize not just the subject as I said, but the shapes in the frame, the lighting, how those shapes and the lighting and colors all fit together. It all must come together in your head before you take the photo before it can come true when you snap the shutter.  For instance say you are at the zoo and want to take a photograph of the rhinos.  The first thing you are bound to notice is the totality of their enclosure. The fencing, the rhinos themselves, just the entire habitat that has been created. But what are you going to photograph? Are you going to take a picture of the rhinos from a hundred feet away? Yuck. Are you going to zoom super tight on the rhinos so they take up the entire frame? BORING.  But what if you saw a strand of flower hanging low behind the fence enclosure. But there are rhinos there! I can take photos of flowers anytime! I know what you’re thinking, but what if you dropped your depth of field down so that you were focused on the flower but had the distinct shape and color of the ominous beast in the background framing the flower for you. Wouldn’t that be a much more interesting shot than the other two ho hum touristy shots? But it still involves the rhino. You see the scene is what you make of it.

With all of this said, don’t become a composition nazi. Yes you have to work at it and yes it will be awkward and forceful at times, but after a bit you shouldn’t be spending more than minute surveying the area and being able to discern how you want to compose your photo.  You don’t want to over think things, because it will just cause stress and often times make your judgement cloudy.  Go with your gut and you will often times be able to view the landscape and determine how to best compose the photo within a quick thought. The beauty of our digital age is that you don’t have to nail it on the first try. If you take the photo and it just isn’t working compositionally for you, it can be changed. You can find a different angle to shoot the image at, or change the settings on the camera to control the lighting and or depth of field in the shot. The world is there to be photographed, you just have to pick the pieces of the puzzle you most want to use and do it.

Rule of Thirds pics.

Rule of Thirds

Rule of thirds is in my opinion the easiest way to make your photos look better.  Composition is vital to a good looking picture. Our natural tendency is to try and center everything we look at. Take a portrait, center it, take a landscape, center the building in it, but these aren’t the best way to make our pictures visually appealing. 

                First off what is the rule of thirds?  Imagine a tic tac board, the theory is that by placing objects on the lines of the tic tac board that the composition of the photo will improve.  But why is this?  Well naturally we love to center things in life, but when we see life as it’s happening it’s rarely centered. Composition is built on leading the eye, enhancing the image simply by placing emphasis on the location of the main focus point in an off center point of view. It sounds simplistic but it’s amazing the effect that this can accomplish.  Another way to use the rule of thirds is when shooting groups. It can allow you to see how they would best be place by moving around the levels of the group, by levels I mean the height of this in the group.  Another compositional trick that can be used when combined with the rule of thirds is by using the landscape to point at your object.

                For instance if you are taking a picture of a barn with a long winding road in the frame use the road to steer the eye towards the barn.  Sir Joshua Reynolds“Two distinct, equal lights, should never appear in the same picture : One should be principal, and the rest sub-ordinate, both in dimension and degree : Unequal parts and gradations lead the attention easily from part to part, while parts of equal appearance hold it awkwardly suspended, as if unable to determine which of those parts is to be considered as the subordinate. "And to give the utmost force and solidity to your work, some part of the picture should be as light, and some as dark as possible : These two extremes are then to be harmonized and reconciled to each other."

                This isn’t to say the rule of thirds should always be used, rather it’s a guideline for people getting into photography to help them with their composition.  As people become more comftorable and creative in how they frame their subject they can move away from the rule of thirds. The lasting reminder from this lesson is to keep things out of the center of the frame because it leaves the image looking a bit bland.