Composition Refresh

• placement or arrangement of visual elements

• organization of the elements of art according to the principles of design

• biggest difference between a good photograph and a mediocre one is the composition

Besides the Rule of Thirds…how can you improve your photographic compositions?

Eliminate Unimportant - Cropping

If main subject is too small, photo will lack impact and subject will become lost among the clutter.

Crop tight around the subject to eliminate background 'noise', ensuring subject gets viewer's undivided attention.

Balancing Elements

Rule of Thirds creates a more interesting photo, but can leave a void in scene making it feel empty.

Balance the 'weight' of your subject by including another object of lesser importance to fill the space.

Background

Busy backgrounds often end is poor photographs. The camera will flatten the foreground and background.

Solution – lookaround for a plain and unobtrusive background and/or compose your shot so that it doesn't distract or detract from the subject.

Avoid MergersEasy to spot, hard to define. They occur due to poor framing.

Examples…• cutting feet off at the

bottom• catching half a person

standing in a crowd• standing in front busy

background - looks like objects are sprouting from peoples heads

Perspective or ViewpointViewpoint has massive impact on composition and can greatly affect your message. Don’t just shoot from eye level… consider photographing from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a long way away, from very close up...

Landscape only? Try Portrait!Turn the camera on it's side and shoot an upright picture.

Consider and experiment with both formats to see what a difference it can make to the picture.

Framing, Edges, Frame within a Frame

The world is full of frames –trees, archways and holes.

Place these around the edge of the composition to help isolate main subject from the outside world.

The result is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest.

Leading Lines

Eye is naturally drawn along lines.

Thinking about how you place lines in your composition affects the way we view the image -pulling us into the picture, towards the subject, or through the scene.

Diagonals

Setting your subject matter on a diagonal will almost always make for a more dynamic picture.

Even if this is an invisible diagonal that draws your eye between two points.

Move around the subject and look for a diagonal.

EmphasizeFill your frame with a repetitive pattern to give the impression of size and large numbers. Zoom in close so the pattern fills the frame and breaks of the edges.

Examples – faces in a crowd, bricks on a wall, a line of bicycle wheels all on the same angle etc.

Repetition & Pattern

Breaking Patterns Interrupt the flow of a pattern by adding a contrasting object (color, shape, texture) or removing one of the repeating objects. Sometimes these broken patterns appear naturally or you can interrupt a pattern yourself.

Pay attention to where in your frame to place the break in the pattern (think rule of thirds), and consider where your focus is.

Repetition & Pattern

SymmetryCan make very eye-catching compositions, especially in places where they are not expected. You can also try to break the symmetry in some way, introducing tension and a focal point to the scene.

Assignment: 40 Image Contact Sheet plus 2 Best

• You should take pictures showing EACH

of the compositional techniques (there

are 12) in this presentation.

• Some of your pictures will include

multiple compositional options.

Due:

Tuesday, September 25th