Photography course 2018 intermediate block composition 3
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The document provides tips for composing photographs, including using the rule of thirds to place subjects along the thirds lines, including foreground elements to add depth, framing scenes within frames, incorporating patterns and textures, using odd numbers of subjects, filling the frame, leaving negative space, following the left to right reading direction, balancing subjects, simplifying backgrounds, isolating subjects with shallow depth of field, changing the point of view, and considering color. It also discusses using leading lines to guide the eye, the golden ratio for composition, and poses tips for photographing groups of people.
Photography course 2018 intermediate block composition 3
- 10. COMPOSITION Everything looks really cool but what do I focus on? Where do I put it in the camera frame? How Do I make my clear to my viewers!
- 11. RULE OF THIRDS The master of compositional rules! The basic theory goes like this: the human eye tends to be more interested in images that are divided into thirds, with the subject falling at or along one of those divisions.
- 12. Centered Composition and Symmetry
- 13. Foreground and Depth Including some foreground interest in a scene is a great way of adding a sense of depth to the scene.
- 14. Framing Including a ‘frame withing the frame’ is another effective way of portraying depth in a scene. Look for elements such as windows, arches or overhanging branches to frame the scene with. The ‘frame’ does not necessarily have to surround the entire scene to be effective.
- 15. A example of “Framing” Trees make great natural frames
- 16. Textures and Patterns Incorporating patterns into your photographs is always a good way to create a pleasing composition.
- 17. Rule of Odds The rule suggests that an image is more visually appealing if there are an odd number of subjects. The theory proposes that an even number of elements in a scene is distracting as the viewer is not sure which one to focus his or her attention on.
- 19. Fill The Frame Filling the frame often involves getting in so close that you may actually crop out elements of your subject. In many cases, this can lead to a very original and interesting composition.
- 20. Leaving Negative Space Leaving a lot of empty or ‘negative’ space around your subject can be very attractive.
- 21. Left to Right Rule There is theory that says we ‘read’ an image from left to right in the same way we would read text. For this reason, it is suggested that any motion portrayed in a photograph should flow from left to right.
- 22. Balance Compose your shot to include a secondary subject of lesser importance or size on the other side of the frame. This balances out the composition without taking too much focus off the main subject of the photograph.
- 24. Simplicity and Minimalism It is often said that ‘less is more’. Simplicity often means taking photos with uncomplicated backgrounds that don’t distract from the main subject. You can also create a simple composition by zooming in on part of your subject and focusing on a particular detail.
- 25. Isolate The Subject Using a shallow depth of field to isolate your subject is a very effective way of simplifying your composition. By using a wide aperture, you can blur the background that might otherwise distract from your main subject.
- 26. Change your Point of View Most photos are taken from eye level.! Getting high up or low down can be a way of creating a more interesting and original composition of a familiar subject.
- 27. Color The use of color itself is an often overlooked compositional tool. Color theory is something that graphic designers, fashion designers and interior designers are all very familiar with. Certain color combinations compliment each other well and can be visually very striking.
- 30. RULE Of SPACE The rule of space relates to the direction the subject(s) in your photo are facing or moving towards.
- 31. Background • Distractions in the background can ruin a great image but they can also add to the story.
- 32. Leading Lines Leading lines help lead the viewer through the image and focus attention on important elements. Anything from paths, walls or patterns can be used as leading lines.
- 34. Leading Lines and Triangles Combined
- 35. GOLDEN RATIO While the rule of thirds divides your scene into equal thirds, the golden ratio divides your scene a little bit differently
- 38. Golden Triangles The golden triangles composition works in a very similar way to the rule of thirds. Instead of a grid of rectangles however, we divide the frame with a diagonal line going from one corner to another. We then add two more lines from the other corners to the diagonal line.
- 41. t! However, a good exercise is to make an effort to use one or
- 42. Posing Groups of People 10 quick tips to better group shots!
- 43. 1. Get The Heads On Different Levels Get the people to be on all different levels so that any pattern of heights does not distract the viewer from seeing the group as being one cohesive unit.
- 44. 2. Make Sure No One Is Covered Up Scan the entire group before taking the photo to make sure that everyone can clearly see the camera.
- 45. 3.Let The Group Unfold Naturally “Have Fun!” Formal group photos are tough to pose because people will not remain still. Even shifting their weight from one foot to another can completely change the pose. Posing a group of five or more can be like playing Whack-a-mole. As soon as you get one in place, another one moves and you have to get the other one set! If the group is willing to try something different, you could completely throw the formal group photo out the window and just have fun.
- 46. 4. Pose The Subjects On Uneven Footing One of the best ways to get the subjects heads on different levels is to find a location that will allow for it. For example, you could pose the family or group on a staircase so they are all sitting on different steps. This will easily break up any patterns of head levels so the group looks like one and no pattern distracts the viewer.
- 47. 5. Shoot Continuous Low When I shoot group photos, I always put the camera on “continuous low” so I shoot 3 frames per second. I grab three frames of each shot I want to take. It is more time consuming and it can be a pain to edit, but this allows you to mask together multiple shots to fix the one person who is not looking at the camera or is covered up.
- 48. 6. Light With Care Lighting groups can be tricky if it is your first time. There are basically two mistakes that most “first timers” commonly make. First, they use only one light for a group. This will make the one person who is close to the light overly bright, and the people on the other side of the frame will be mostly untouched by the light. The second common mistake is placing the lights too close to the axis of the people, so one person's head throws a shadow on the next person. When shooting group photos, I usually pull the lights in much closer to the camera than I typically do when shooting one or two people.
- 49. 7. Tighten Things Up Most people have a natural bubble. When you ask a group to stand together for a picture, particularly if it is a business group rather than a family, the group will be spread much further apart than they should. If you take the shot with the group too far apart, they will not feel like a group at all!
- 50. 8. Show Confidence If you shoot group photos for profit, you must absolutely dominate the situation. When there are a lot of people getting together, it will be chaotic and will take twice as long as it should if you don't step in and take control of the situation. They will not know where to go unless you tell them. These things don't pose themselves….
- 51. 9. Triangle Composition Technique Triangles are an underused tool of composition, and yet it is probably the most important rule of composition for shooting group photos. It will be unlikely that you could successfully shoot a group photo following the rule of thirds
- 52. 10. Don’t Get Too “Creative” In Your Posing It might seem like a good idea, but seriously… don't do anything embarrassing like in the photo on the left. Group photos can get awkward fast if you aren't careful.
Editor's Notes
- #11: Composition is hugely important to storytelling. Where and how you place your subject is will determine how your viewer feels about your image.
- #12: The rule of thirds is very simple. You divide the frame into 9 equal rectangles, 3 across and 3 down as illustrated below. The rule of thirds is the easiest rule to remember and likely the most ofter used. I use it all most exclusively.
- #13: Now that I’ve told you not to place the main subject in the centre of the frame, I’m going to tell you to do the exact opposite! There are times when placing a subject in the centre of the frame works really well. Symmetrical scenes are perfect for a centered composition. They look really well in square frames too.
- #14: Including some foreground interest in a scene is a great way of adding a sense of depth to the scene. Photographs are 2D by nature. Including foreground interest in the frame is one of a number of techniques to give the scene a more 3D feel.
- #15: Frames don’t have to be man-made objects such as arches or windows. A frame can be something a simple as tree branches or leaves or a window. Anything that causes you to look through something to get to your subject.
- #17: Human beings are naturally attracted to patterns. They are visually attractive and suggest harmony. Patterns can be man made like a series of arches or natural like the petals on a flower. Incorporating patterns into your photographs is always a good way to create a pleasing composition. Less regular textures can also be very pleasing on the eye.
- #18: The rule suggests that an image is more visually appealing if there are an odd number of subjects. The theory proposes that an even number of elements in a scene is distracting as the viewer is not sure which one to focus his or her attention on. An odd number of elements is seen as more natural and easier on the eye.
- #20: Filling the frame with your subject, leaving little or no space around it can be very effective in certain situations. It helps focus the viewer completely on the main subject without any distractions. It also allows the viewer to explore the detail of the subject that wouldn’t be possible if photographed from further away. Filling the frame often involves getting in so close that you may actually crop out elements of your subject. In many cases, this can lead to a very original and interesting composition.
- #21: It creates a sense of simplicity and minimalism. Like filling the frame, it helps the viewer focus on the main subject without distractions. In advertising this also allows space for text to convey a message.
- #22: There is theory that says we ‘read’ an image from left to right in the same way we would read text. For this reason, it is suggested that any motion portrayed in a photograph should flow from left to right. This is all very well but it assumes the viewer is from a country were text is read from left to right. Many languages are read from right to left such as Arabic for example. To be honest, I’ve seen plenty of fantastic photographs that ‘flow’ from right to left. Also when combining text and images like presenting a powerpoint, We tend to see the image first and the words second so the image is placed on the the right depending on what you want your viewer to see first.
- #23: The first compositional guideline we looked at in this tutorial was the ‘rule of thirds’. This of course means that we often place the main subject of the photo to the side of the frame along one of the vertical grid lines. Sometimes this can lead to a lack of balance in the scene. It can leave a sort of ‘void’ in the rest of the frame. To overcome this, you can compose your shot to include a secondary subject of lesser importance or size on the other side of the frame. This balances out the composition without taking too much focus off the main subject of the photograph.
- #24: Once again, a decorative lamppost dominates one side of the frame. The church tower in the distance provides balance on the other side of the frame. This also has a secondary effect on the composition. The church tower in the distance is obviously much bigger than the lamppost in real life. It appears smaller in the photograph as it is far away. This helps add a sense of depth and scale to the scene.
- #25: Wonderfully creative stories can be told focusing on small details of the subject rather than giving the entire story away.
- #26: This is one of my personal favorite rules of composition. I combine foreground and framing a great deal with isolation of the subject to create dramatic powerful images. This is a particularly useful technique for shooting portraits.
- #27: Most photos are taken from eye level. In my case, that’s barely 5 feet! Getting high up or low down can be a way of creating a more interesting and original composition of a familiar subject. I’ve often seen wildlife photographers in particular lying in the mud on their bellies to get the perfect shot.
- #28: Color theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design applications - enough to fill several encyclopedias. However, there are three basic categories of color theory that are logical and useful : The color wheel, color harmony, and the context of how colors are used. Colors that are beside each other are considered to be contrasting while colors opposite of each other are complimentary.
- #29: Color theories create a logical structure for color. For example, if we have an assortment of fruits and vegetables, we can organize them by color and place them on a circle that shows the colors in relation to each other.
- #30: Note the color combination of Blue, Yellow, and Green! These are both complimentary and contrasting.
- #31: The rule of space relates to the direction the subject(s) in your photo are facing or moving towards. If you are taking a photo of a moving car for example, there should be more space left in the frame in front of the car than behind it. This implies that there is space in the frame for the car to move into. Take a look at the example of the boat below.
- #32: This is one of those rules that almost all beginning photographers break. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our subject that we don't pay any attention to what's going on behind them. If the background is busy and doesn't add anything to your composition, try using a wider aperture so those distracting elements will become a non-descript blur. Or you can just try changing your angle. Instead of shooting the subject with all those beach-goers right behind her, angle her so that she's in front of the water instead. Not all backgrounds need to be excluded, of course. Just make sure you pay attention to them and ask yourself whether they will contribute to or detract from your final image. Your answer will let you know whether you should get rid of them or include them.
- #33: Leading lines do not necessarily have to be straight as illustrated by the picture above. In fact curved lines can be very attractive compositional features. A pattern in the snow, a road, a fence, a row of street lights, a beach and water line are all examples of leading lines.
- #34: A beautiful and unique use of leading lines. This is often seen with spiral staircases in weddings and advertising.
- #35: In this photo of the Hotel de Ville in Paris, the implied triangles and diagonals create sense of dynamic tension. We are not used to seeing buildings leaning at such angles in our everyday life. It is slightly jarring to our sense of balance. This is what creates the visual tension.
- #36: The golden ratio can be very complicated to learn and understand but I want to try to make it easier so we aren’t going to talk about the math of it. Basically, It’s like a slightly more complex version of the rule of thirds. Instead of a regular grid, the frame is divided into a series of squares as in the examples below. This is known as a ‘Phi Grid’. You can then use the squares to draw a spiral that looks like a snail’s shell. This is called a ‘Fibonacci Spiral’. The squares help to position elements in the scene and the spiral gives us an idea of how the scene should flow. It’s a little like an invisible leading line. It is believed that the golden spiral method of composition has been in existence for over 2,400 years having been devised in Ancient Greece. It is widely used in many types of art as well as architecture as a way of creating aesthetically pleasing compositions. It was particularly well employed in Renaissance art.
- #37: It is said that the golden ratio represents natures perfect compositions. It is my most favorite of all the compositional rules. The grid can be flipped around according to where you want your subject to appear.
- #39: The golden triangles composition works in a very similar way to the rule of thirds. Instead of a grid of rectangles however, we divide the frame with a diagonal line going from one corner to another. We then add two more lines from the other corners to the diagonal line. The two smaller lines meet the big line at a right angle as is illustrated below. This divides the frame into a series of triangles. As you can see, this way of composing helps us introduce an element of the ‘dynamic tension. As with the rule of thirds, we use the lines (of the triangles in this case) to help us position the various elements in the scene.
- #44: This posing tip is first for a reason. It is probably the easiest way to dramatically improve your compositions for group photography. The idea is that you get the people to be on all different levels so that any pattern of heights does not distract the viewer from seeing the group as being one cohesive unit. In the photo at the right, you can see that the parents are roughly equal in height, and the children are equal in height. Standing this way would be fine for a snapshot, but it does not look like professional posing. Changing this pose up just slightly could make a big impact in the overall photo.