Learning composition

[ldover]

I have been taking photos for a couple of months now & I have soooo much to learn about composition. I was wondering any of you would tell what I have done right or wrong with these two photos?

[dakwegmo]

In the first shot, the post on the right is really hurting the shot. It sits right on a vertical third, and it's high contrast with the light wood behind it. These two things make it a very powerful compositional element, but it doesn't add anything in the shot. Also, because it bisects the image, it creates two sides of the image that need to be tied together some other way. Since there's really nothing of interest on the right to tie it to anything on the left, the post doesn't work as a compositional element. If this were my shot, I'd either clone it out, or crop the image to either square or portrait orientation.

The second shot is interesting, I like the way the way the curve from the posts is echoed in the curve of the road. I also like the color contrast between the green moss on the road and the white posts. The curves though lead straight out of the image, and there's not much else to draw the viewer back in.

The most important element of composition is to figure out what you're trying to say with an image. This really isn't all that complicated as it may seem. What I do as I'm looking through the viewfinder, composing a shot, is to mentally ask "What is this image about?" The answer will help improve your composition, suggesting the best placement of elements in the shot.

[ldover]

Thank you, dakwegmo. I have a couple of books that I have been reading, but I am one of those people that have to "do" before it sinks in. I knew there was something off with the pictures but coulnd't put a finger on it. Thank you again for your help.

[wulf]

The first one is now not available (did you edit the copy on Flickr?).

I agree with dakwegmo - the step before thinking about composition is thinking about what you are trying to achieve with the shot. For the second one, I think I would have been wanting to draw a comparison between the two broken curves - the very jagged one drawn by the posts and the lower one formed by the edge of the road. That would have led me to seeking a frame without the blurred foreground elements over on the right - perhaps moving the camera a little to the left or seeking a slightly different vantage point.

Wulf

[Japaslavian]

Understanding composition doesn't really come from books.
Books can teach you standard practice, general rules, and guidelines, but those don't help unless you put them into practice. And often times, when you're presented with something, many of the rules go right out the window because they don't apply.
The rule of thirds is just as useful as it is useless. Dynamic compositions are just as impactful as static, symmetrical ones, it is just a matter of figuring out which suits different situations better. I mean think about it. How many photos have you seen of just a tree on a hill somewhere? Probably thousands. Placing a single tree in the direct center of the frame on a hill emphasizes loneliness, or solitude, or peace. Meanwhile, a single tree on a hill placed on a hotspot can help bring life to the shot. It allows you to use other things in the scene, like a maybe a sunflare, or the hills in the background to give some context and a whole other feeling.

The best way to learn and understand composition is looking a photographers you admire, and trying to figure out what they are seeing in the shots they've taken. Why did they shoot this that way? Break down a photo into just shapes, and see how the different lines and patterns make up the frame. Look at both dynamic, and centralized compositions. What makes each type the appropriate choice for different subject matter, and what feeling comes from it?

I've never read a book on photography before, because I found it much easier to learn from photos. And if something puzzled me (and they happen to be on flickr or devart) I would just ask them! Most are more than willing to share what they've done, and how they did it.

Think of it like high school. You can study algebra, history, science, and all that, but when you go to work as a mechanic, or a designer, or... a photorapher, 90% of that stuff you were told was pivotally important ends up being useless information that wins you Trivial Pursuit games with the in-laws.

[NIX74]

Personally I don't learn composition from books, but more on trial and error. This is because I felt that photography is a form of Art, is something you visuallise in you mind, and not something you need to comply to certain rules and principles.

However those concept of composition found on books and website can be use as good guide and idea for you.

Another way to learn up on composition is to look at other's composition. If you are out in the field for photography, try to get few photograohy friends to come along. This is quite usefull cause you can share notes with one another and get feedback from what other think.

Of cause alternatively, use this forum to gain feedback and learn from the feedback.

Back to your photo,

1st pic did not show up on the forum
2nd pic, look good the composition but seems like something is missing. Maybe by placing a object in it, like a signboard / a birds on the rail / a person may make the composition much better.

Hope this helps

[wulf]

Learning from the experience others have distilled, whether in books, a personal tutor or some other method can save a lot of time in developing a good eye. I think it is useful to have a concept or two in mind, although you certainly also need to experiment with the parameters if you are going to rise beyond merely formulaic results.

Wulf

[kencaleno]

Ask yourself 3 questions:

1. What is the main subject of my image?

- The most prominent object, theme or topic

2. How do I emphasise the main subject?

- Isolate the subject
- Use motion blur (slow shutter speed)
- Use fast shutter speed to freeze motion
- Use selective focusing
- Subject placement within frame
- Get close and fill frame with subject

3. What do I leave out of my image?

- All things that are irrelevant to the main subject
- All things that detract from the main subject
- Look out for cluttered foregrounds and backgrounds
- Watch for distractions: trees growing out of people’s heads;
- Rivers and fences running through ears, etc.,

Composition

Composition is all about the arrangement of elements within the viewfinder’s frame, to evoke emotion from the viewer of the final image. What attracts us to great photographic images?
- They make us
- wrinkle our brow -
- smile -
- feel happy -
- feel sad -
- feel peaceful -
- feel disturbed -
- feel angry -
- feel like laughing -
- feel shocked.
If a photograph can evoke any of these emotions, it can be said to have Impact. The basis of impact in a photographic image is placement and possibly enhancement of that subject, within the viewfinder frame of the camera.
Composition refers to the arrangement of line, shape and contrast within the frame of the photographic Image. Effective composition arranges the elements, ( objects, colours, horizons, patterns, etc.,) that show the viewer your personal world view of the subject. It is a matter of knowing what to leave out of the image. The greatest influence on our reaction to a photograph is the position of the main centre of interest. This should almost never be placed at dead-centre in the frame, as any sense of implied movement dissolves. The result is usually static and boring.
Very specific to stock photography are the Rule of thirds, and allowing for copy-space (leaving room for text)
The rule of thirds comes into its own when using subject placement within the frame-
Imagine your camera viewfinder with a nine-segment grid ( like a tic-tac-toe, (Noughts and crosses)) grid
The most aesthetically pleasing position to site your subject will be on one of the four intersections of this imaginary grid, which also gives you two horizontal guides, and two vertical guides. There are many ways of using this imaginary grid:
- Horizontal lines are used to place horizons- 1/3 down from top for earthy renditions, and 1/3 up from bottom for more dreamy effects.
- You can use vertical lines for positioning trees, poles, vertical subjects
- When filling the frame with, for instance, a head-shot, eyes should be placed 1/3 of the way down from the top
- For landscapes, you can use this imaginary grid-by focusing on the 1/3 up from bottom gridline, you will be correctly focusing 1/3 into your distance, as you should be for landscapes
There are many elements to consider when composing your images, such as:
Position of horizon
Framing
Line
Perspective
Depth
Balance
Colour
Contrast
Shape
Pattern
Tone
Viewpoint
Brightness
Scale
Shock

The photographic image’s frame doesn’t just come from the edges of your viewfinder. Be careful that framing the things surrounding the main subject doesn’t trap the subject, or detract from it. Don’t use if the image doesn’t require it. Lines, in the image have a certain effect on how the viewer’s eye travels through the photograph:
Implied lines, always straight, between interacting objects, or between an object and whatever is ahead of it.
Upright lines give feelings of strength and balance throughout the image.
Curved lines convey peaceful movement, but the steeper the curve, the more tension and force.
Diagonal lines give feelings of action and dynamism.
Perspective lines show dynamic movement in the direction of the lines
Jagged lines convey unhurried and peaceful movement.

It’s the control of composition that determines the “WOW” factor in photography, and it is very important, if you are going to take worthwhile photographs, to master that control. Where Lighting and Exposure, are pure technique, or the science of photography, Composition is the art of photography.
Creativity is the understanding and manipulation of composition elements within the frame of the camera’s viewfinder.

On Seeing Creatively:

Developing a creative eye is about seeing things in a different way. A personal visual focus rather than obvious point of view. When we first use a camera we take pictures of all the obvious things around us, landmarks, people we know, family pets, etc., and after some while taking these mundane, overdone subjects, boredom starts to take effect (hopefully) and If we get bored enough, we, (well, some of us anyway) tend to look further than the obvious for our photographic endeavours, hopefully encouraging us to present our personal view of the World. Remember back when you were a kid?, where anything could be whatever you imagined it to be?. We, as adults have set-in-concrete ideas of how something should look, and that’s where the problem lies. How about, (photographically, anyway,) Going back in your imagination to that child-like innocence, and start looking at things the way you decide how they should appear? What would a worm see- if it looked up? Or a bird-looking down- I recall reading somewhere a woman and her 3-year old were out shopping, in a department store, at Christmas-time, and the child was crying. “what’s up with you?” the mother asked,” We are here in this beautiful shop, and we are going to buy some nice things to take home with us-look at all the lovely things they have here”. She looked down and noticed the child’s shoelace was undone. In bending down to re-tie the child’s shoelace, she understood why the crying- all the child could see from his height, was a forest of grown-up’s legs-he couldn’t see all the beautiful Christmas decorations or gifts-he wasn’t tall enough to see above the counters. Here’s a challenge: Spend a day taking photos of everyday things from a height of 600mm to 800mm, how a small child would view them. isolate part of an overall scene, using the camera’s viewfinder -Show things how they are not normally viewed. Use light creatively, to show texture, give mood or to produce silhouetted shapes. Use telephoto lenses for landscapes-wide angle lenses for portraits - take photos into the sun - take pictures while jumping in the air -
Place horizons where you want them to be. After a while creative vision becomes as natural as breathing, and when this occurs, you can concentrate on capturing the moment : The peak of action -a fleeting glance- certain lighting conditions. Learn all the “Rules” of composition-then see how many you can break, while still communicating powerful images. Try not focusing on the point of interest, instead focus on shape, or form. Decide what you want to emphasise-what message you want to convey to the viewer. Look for pictures within pictures. try looking at a scene through a 28mm wide-angle lens, change to a 200mm telephoto lens, and see how many different pictures you can isolate within that scene.


Working the subject

Instead of just taking the one picture from the angle you first saw it, try “Working the subject”, that is, cover the subject from as many angles as you can, to get the best from each photo opportunity. Here’s a checklist:
-From the front
-From behind
-From the left
-From the right
-From up close
-From far away
-From above
-From below
-Capture detail
-Unusual angles
-Into the light
-Include foreground

[shooters_desire]

at the present time i'm learning about composition as well. But i'm a student at NYIP. The lesson i'm currently learning is to observe something in front of you. Look at the way the light strikes the object. What is it showing you. Observation is the key to composition. I'm learning that i can take a shot of anything and your right books can't teach you that but they can express what the author is relating to you. With that in mind you can learn how to compose a shot. Here's an example. This is a crack in the road. A very small crack. In order to take this shot i had to get horizontal with the road