Composition.
Introduction:
What is the difference between a snapshot and an image? If you are like most people, your hard drive is full of images that mostly qualify as snapshots. These are photographs taken randomly at family outings, vacations or other activities. They do a good job of chronicling an event, but they may not be the sort of image you want to have enlarged and framed. So how do you transform your photographs from snapshots into frame-worthy images?
For most of us, an interesting image is one that stands out, is attention grabbing and draws your eyes into its detail and holds your attention. How can you achieve this?
Composition plays an important role in making your image more appealing and visually interesting. What is composition? Put simply, composition is the art of arranging the setting of the images you photograph. Anyone can point a camera and click a shutter, but that does not mean the image will be pleasing to the eye, or that anyone will want to look at it. In effect, image composition is the "what you shoot at" part of photography.
Here are a few tips that may help you produce better images.
Composition is not just about rules:
Photographers usually talk about the ’rule of thirds’ when discussing composition, but really, an interesting composition is simply applying a different approach to how you frame the image.
Generally we find images have more impact and interest when the subject is positioned at one third of the distance into the frame, either from the top, bottom, or the sides. Lead-in lines can help you accentuate what you do with the rule of thirds.
When looking at a photograph, most people’s eyes tend to naturally fall on those four imaginary intersections. So when the subject of the image is placed in one of those intersections, the photograph looks more balanced and the viewer is more comfortable with the image.
Successful images are not necessarily divided up in this way, but understanding the rule of thirds will ultimately help you become a better photographer. Your camera may come equipped with a handy grid that you can turn off or on in the viewfinder/ LCD screen, which will help you compose your photographs according to this rule.
Composition - Starting at the beginning:
Although image composition has some basic, general rules, it can also be quite subjective depending on the message you are trying to convey with your final photography image. Every image has a message, even snapshots and candid photos. The more simple your message, hopefully the easier will be the composition.
There are four elements that come into play when composing your image: tone, sharpness, scale, and arrangement. By controlling and taking advantage of each, you can make your photographic composition speak to your audience. Looking at each of these four elements in turn…..
Tone: Tone is the brightness and contrast of your image, the interplay of light and shadow. By using light and shadow, you can focus attention on or draw attention away from your subject. You can use image tone to control where the viewer's eyes are directed, and even the mood of the image.
Sharpness: Like tone, sharpness can be used to direct where in the image you want the viewer's attention to be focused. By having your subject in focus, and the extraneous elements of the image blurred, the viewer will naturally be drawn to the item in focus. Depth of field will play a big part in how you control the sharpness of your image.
Scale: Scale is somply the size relationship between the objects in your image. You can also use scale to make a statement about the subject of your image. On one hand you can make the subject very small and surrounded by a large environment. In this instance the message is the size of the surroundings. Alternately you can shoot a close-up on the subject and the impression would be entirely different. An example would be large veretables in front of background people.
Arrangement: How you arrange the elements of your image will make all the difference in how it is interpreted. Objects that are NOT essential to the composition should be either physically removed or eliminated (hidden) by changing the camera's viewpoint or perspective.
Compositions that contain strong patterns or lines benefit the most by placing the subject at the central focus of the pattern. Placement of the principal subject should follow certain other general rules as well.
In general, you do not want the subject too close to the edge of the frame, but you do not want it perfectly centered either. Not centering the subject is not a hard and fast rule though; it's one that is meant to be broken now and again as circumstances dictate. Remember, composition is an art.
In landscapes, the horizon should not be at the exact center of the frame, distribute the sky or ground according to which element you want to accentuate the most. When taking action shots, show your subject as entering the frame, not leaving it. Have more space in front of the subject (to ‘look into’) and less behind it.
For the most part, when it comes to portraiture you want to show more of the space in front of the subject than the space behind the subject, unless there is some element of the background that is integral to the image.
But do not sacrifice your subject for a tertiary background element. Do not include a background object and sacrifice a portion of your subject, or main focal point of the image. This is definitely a no-no.
Ideally, you want the subject to be the most conspicuous object in the picture, whether by size, contrast, or positioning. If your subject looks flat or unappealing from straight on, try shooting from an angle.
When there are multiple objects in your composition, they should all flow together in a harmonious manner, following an identical theme.
What you should ideally avoid is items in the same setting that are diametrically opposed to one another. In other words, don't put objects together that don't belong together, unless the statement you're making is intentionally surreal.
Enhancing your photography with patterns:
There is something about repeating patterns that makes them appealing and captures our collective imaginations. Whenever you find a pattern, take advantage of it. Sometimes you will not need an extra subject. The pattern itself is enough to make the image stand out. Never overlook the power of patterns.
Be aware of the background:
Think about the foreground. A lot of photographers spend all their time looking for interesting backgrounds when they should be looking for interesting things to place in the foreground.
This is especially true when you are taking pictures of landscapes. Without something in the foreground, your viewer does not really have a basis of comparison for understanding the distances involved. Foregrounds generally pull you into the image and make you feel part of the image. They also give you a sense of scale.
That said, you should not entirely ignore the background. Subject is important, but a good background can really make or break a photograph. No matter how interesting your subject is, if it is positioned against an ugly or otherwise distracting background you will lose much of that subject’s potential impact. At the very least, ask yourself if your background is distracting.
If the answer is yes, use a wider aperture when composing the photograph—a wide aperture (small f stop) will blur the background and make it less distracting. If you can, move away from the background altogether, or angle your camera in such a way that those elements are no longer in the frame.
Not all backgrounds need to be suppressed, of course. Try to find interesting lines or patterns in the setting where you have placed your subject, and position your camera so that those elements are included in the shot without overwhelming it. A good rule of thumb is to choose your background first, then choose or position your subject so that the background compliments the rest of the image.
Look for symmetry in your surroundings:
Symmetry is naturally fascinating because it’s so uncommon. Whenever you find it, make it the centerpiece of the photo. Not everything has to be perfectly symmetrical to set off our sense of wonder. You can usually find symmetry if you are looking for it. Many ‘difficult’ images can be enhanced by composing them on the diagonal of the image.
Balance your colors:
Try to find patterns of similar colors in a scene. Sometimes a perfect balance of colors is enough to make an image stand out. Use complimentary colours for contrast but always remember to use them in unequal size (a small amount of red clothing will balance a large green field)
Tell A Story With Your Image:
Sometimes the story does all of the heavy lifting for you. As long as you know how to place the subjects in their setting, you will have a compelling composition. Just remember to pay attention to the rule of thirds and place the subjects in one of the four thirds of the scene. Have your ‘story’ determined by everything in the composition, all the way down to the aperture chosen and the depth of field.
Use a lead-in line:
In photography, confusion is not your friend. People in general are not comfortable with a confusing photograph. Most people won’t spend a lot of time looking at an image that is busy or directionless (unless that image has other unique qualities), because it’s too hard to sort out the meaning from all the confusion.
To bring order to an otherwise confusing scene, try to find the lines that will lead a viewer’s eye through the image or towards the subject of the photograph. Converging lines, such as those made by roads and railroad tracks, will naturally draw the viewer’s eye from the foreground into the mid-ground or background, giving the photograph a sense of depth and distance.
The same is true for diagonal lines, which can also make an image appear more dramatic and can even convey a sense of motion.
Alternately, vertical and horizontal lines suggest order and stability; vertical lines such as those found in trees and buildings convey strength and horizontal lines are lazy and relaxing. Curved or wavy lines can help a composition too, they add a more natural beauty and will draw the eye through the entire image rather than from one corner or edge to another.
Finding a good lead-in line? To find a lead-in line, you simply need to look at the scene from different angles and perspectives. Sometimes they are not there at a certain angle, but they are very present at another. Sometimes you need to zoom in to get a lead-in line to work. Sometimes you need to zoom out. Look from above. Look from below. Walk around your subject and see it from all sides.
Where do the best lead-in lines start? Lead-in lines can start anywhere on the side of the frame. There really aren’t any hard and fast rules. As long as the lines go somewhere through, or point towards, a main subject, they should work quite well. The best way to test a lead-in line’s effectiveness is to take a step back and look at the image. Notice what your eyes do. Do they go through the entire image, focusing on the subject?
Using shapes and lead-in lines for other purposes: Sometimes you can use other shapes to stop your viewer’s eyes from moving through the scene. You can also use them to direct your viewer’s eyes back out of the scene. Depending on what you are trying to do, certain approaches will be better or worse than others.
Modify your camera viewpoint.
Too many photographers shoot everything from the exact same viewpoint, ehylevel. You can get good images this way but changing your viewpoint frequently is going to radically improve your overall impact of the images you take. People view almost everything from eye-level, which is why images taken from that viewpoint are often mediocre and uninteresting, They are just too familiar. Make your images different and be noticed.
We don’t often view things from a child’s perspective, from the floor looking up or from a high point looking down (mostly because we attract attention). Images shot from those viewpoints will be instantly more interesting just based on the originality of the perspective. It does help to ignore what other people think as you will definitely get you few strange looks from passers-by.
Conclusion or what does all this tell us?
Every image has a message or tells a story, even snapshots and candid pgotographs.
Know what your image message is and how you want to convey it before clicking the shutter.
Generally, you do not want your subject perfectly centered. Keep multiple objects linked by an identical theme, and use patterns and light to draw attention to your subject, not away.
Most of all, keep your compositions simple. The less there is in the image, the less there is to manage. Perfection will have been achieved when there is nothing left to remove, not when there is nothing more to add.
If you keep these simple tips in mind, and take your time while composing your images, you will be surprised by how successful you can be in producing images not only that you are pleased with, but that are pleasing to others as well.
Note: Samples of all types of image composision can be found on my Digital Photography- Image Capture CD which may be purchased at my Seminars or by contacting my studio.
