FIND YOUR FOCAL POINT
The the next time you're taking a picture, before {you decide to|prior to deciding to} snap the shutter, ask yourself, “what will be the point of curiosity in this picture?” or “What will draw the eye of the viewers of this picture—what will be the subject?” The reason this is important is that an image generally needs a ‘resting place’ or point of curiosity to carry someone’s attention. Once you have identified your subject, you can consider approaches to enhance it and draw people in!
Some ways you can do this are:
-position within the image
-use of negative space
-balance and symmetry
-use of leading lines
-framing your image
-use of patterns, repetition, and texture
-perspective
Finally, you may use motion and depth of field (sharpness or blur) as we now have discussed in past classes as well.
Rule of Thirds
Probably the best known rule of composition in photography will be the Rule of Thirds. The rule of thirds explains what a part of a picture a person's eye is most strongly drawn towards first. An imaginary tic-tac-toe board is drawn across a picture to break it into nine equal squares. The four points where these lines intersect are strongest focal points. The lines themselves are the 2nd strongest focal points. Aligning a subject matter using these points creates more tension energy and interest than simply centering a subject. Practice seeing this grid over the image before {you decide to|prior to deciding to} even snaps the shot.
Using Space/Negative Space
This also has to accomplish with placing your subjects within the frame. While I am a proponent of cropping in close for any more intimate connection together with your subject, sometimes it makes for better composition to give your subject some space.
Think about using a smaller subject on a blank canvas—and when have to do|you are doing} so, don’t forget the rule of thirds whenever you place your subject.
Also, specially when photographing people or animals, or any other moving objects - allow more space inside the direction your subject is headed. This way they've “room” to move in your picture. Also, allow more space towards the side your subject is looking so they've somewhere to “look.”
Sometimes it is that which you leave out of a picture that makes it special.
Frame your subject
And not only with all the kind you buy at Michaels.
‘Framing’ can be used within the composition of your shot to aid you highlight your main point of curiosity inside the image and and/or to place it in context to supply the image ‘depth’. There are several ways you can do this. When shooting outdoors, you can frame your scene using the branches of your tree or even blades of grass. You can make use of a doorway, bridge or archway to frame your subject, or shoot the sunset through through the pier instead of just throughout the sand, etc.
For people, you can frame a face with a scarf or a fuzzy jacket, or picture them looking out a widow or any other natural frame.
Balance and Symmetry
Symmetry sometimes be described as a negative (too static or boring) but could get a big positive in a photograph, depending about the image and its purpose. Some images that may look good with symmetry are architecture, or interesting patterns, headshots etc. One thing you can look at doing is to adopt two different shots of your scene—one with centered symmetry and something with all the subject off center.
Balance: The positioning of elements in a frame can leave a picture feeling balanced or unbalanced.. Too many points of curiosity in a section of your image can let it rest feeling too ‘heavy’ or complicated for {the reason that|because} area of the shot and other parts feeling ‘empty’.
Use of lines in your composition
One way you can simply improve the composition of your images is to utilize lines to attract the viewer to your subject or convey a message about your photograph. There are 4 different varieties of lines you may use in a composition: horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines and converging lines.
There’s something in regards to a horizontal line in a picture that conveys a message of ’stability’ or even ‘rest’. Horizons, fallen trees, oceans, sleeping people - all of these subjects have something about them that speaks either of permanency and timelessness or rest.
Horizons are one of the most common horizontal lines found in photographs and they can act to divide or anchor a picture. In general, attempt to avoid placing your horizon inside the center of your picture, which divides it by 50 percent in a very static way. Try to place your horizon on certainly one of the rule of thirds lines—either show a lot of sky or a majority of foreground.
Also, layers of horizontal lines can create rhythm or patterns in a picture that can end up being the focus of a picture in and of itself.
Vertical lines in a photograph are usually utilized to convey strength and power (think skyscrapers) or growth (think trees). Often, vertical lines can be emphasized by holding your camera in a vertical format, thus lengthening the vertical subject futher and emphasizing its height. Again try to not reduce your image by 50 percent with a vertical line.
With both horizontal and vertical lines, try to maintain them straight and square with all the sides of the picture—so your horizon isn’t tilted and your skyscraper doesn’t look such as the leaning tower of Pizza.
Diagonal lines generally work effectively to attract the eye of an image’s viewer through the photograph. They create points of curiosity as they intersect with other lines and frequently give images depth by suggesting perspective.
They can also add a a feeling of action for an image along with a dynamic look and feel.
Consider how you could use diagonal lines to lead the eye to your photograph’s main subject or point of interest.
Numerous diagonal lines leading in various directions and intersecting with one another can also add a a feeling of action to your photo but adding too many diagonal lines might ensure it is chaotic and confusing.
The classic example of utilizing converging lines in a picture will be the railroad tracks that are wide apart inside the foreground and get closer together as they recede in to the distance. Converging lines are a great way direct the viewer to your subject as they act as sort of your funnel which directs the gaze of the viewer in a certain direction. In addition to railroad tracks, you may use roads, pathways, stairs, fence lines, or any lines which converge inside the distance. Try framing your converging lines on a diagonal instead of straight for any different effect, or using a really wide angle lens. Also, think concerning the position of the purpose of convergence, and perhaps placing your subject there.
Perspective
The perspective that an attempt is obtained from is yet another element that can have a big impact upon an image, and can affect the composition dramatically.
Shooting from up high and looking down on a subject matter or shooting from below looking up about the same subject drastically impact not just the ‘look’ of the image, emphasizing different points of interest, angles, textures, shapes etc - but it also impacts the ’story’ of an image.
Try looking at a scene or subject from your obvious perspective and try taking a little shots from different angles.
The perspective that an attempt is obtained from is yet another element that can have a big impact upon an image, and can affect the composition dramatically.
Shooting from up high and looking down on a subject matter or shooting from below looking up about the same subject drastically impact not just the ‘look’ of the image, emphasizing different points of interest, angles, textures, shapes etc - but it also impacts the ’story’ of an image.
Try looking at a scene or subject from your obvious perspective and try taking a little shots from different angles.
Avoid Distractions
Discern that which you want your subject to be, and shoot so as to avoid distracting from that. Clutter inside the background is certainly one of the main offenders that can ruin an otherwise good shot. Angle yourself so that your son with his new birthday gift doesn’t possess a lot of competing wrapping paper, other toys, etc. inside the background. And take care that no trees or telephone poles are growing out of your very best friend’s head at her anniversary party.
When you see distracting elements there are a couple of things you can do:
-Recompose by moving higher, lower or from a different angle yourself
-Move your subject (if you can)
-Blur the backdrop out of focus with a wide aperture or pan a moving subject.
What if I want to change my composition following the fact?
There are many times that I will take an image and realize later as I am a glance at|considering} it on my screen that it could be described as a much better shot if I just placed the topic just a little more towards the side, or took the image with a vertical instead of a horizontal orientation. Or perhaps I want to have more of your panoramic composition or more of your square instead of a full frame image.
Well my buddies - that is what Photoshop (or almost any decent image editing program readily available) is for.
When you open up a picture to edit, a glance at|examine} where the lines are leading the eye, think about where the subject placement would look best, recall the rule of thirds and crop accordingly.
One other note on cropping… If you know beforehand what size you may have to present or print your image in, make sure you allow enough space in your composition to allow for your alternation in aspect ratio. For example, most DSLRs take pictures in a 3:2 ratio (2x3, 4x6, 8x12, 20x30, etc.) Therefore, should you you} need to create a print in an 8x10 format, you may have to allow enough extra space on either end of your composition to crop off to produce a 3:4 aspect ratio. And should you you} have to have a panoramic shot for any blog header, make sure all of your important subject matter is within that narrow frame or else you may lose areas of your subject.
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