Practicing compostion

[franklin]

Can someone tell me if this is a good composition picture ? The snow on the roof I am not sure about it blends in with the cloudy skies? I really need to learn to not center things, I am bad for that. So I am practicing.
Thankyou

[ethuil1313]

its not too bad of a centered picture, although the roof does blend in with the sky :\.
nice job though the wood paneling against the snow looks nice

[dcclark]

Here are a few comments:

There is a lot going on in this photo -- the house and many trees. Those get distracting.

The trees which are half cut off on the edges are a bit odd.

You might find that the photo is more effective if you get closer, to focus on the house itself.

[PhotoNewt]

This photo need more exposure - the wood and greens look too dark. This will happen everytime you take a picture where there is significant light reflection - the light meter in your camera will compensate for the extra brightness of the snow by decreasing the exposure. You need to dial an extra 1-2 stops of exposure to compensate for this metering issue.

In addition to the comments of the prior poster, taking a photograph of a snow covered roof against a grey overcast sky is rarely interesting; as you can see, they tend to blend. When presented with this situation, choose subjects where you can keep the sky out of the picture.

[navcom]

I know exactly what you are going through.

In order to learn proper composition, you have to tear yourself away from what I was told when I became serious was "tourist photos" or "documentation photos"...that is, seeing something interesting, pointing the camera at it, and pushing the shutter....not much thought beforehand about what you are actually shooting.

In your mind, you know what you think is interesting in the photo, in this case possibly the older house. Instead of just trying to document the house, stand back and look at what you want the center of interest to be. Maybe the wood siding...maybe the rotten window, or how the snow sits on the roof. Maybe the lighting from the sun. You may decide the light will look better earlier or later in the day and decide to come back then.

With this "center of interest" in mind, start thinking of what you DON'T need in the picture...what will only end up taking the viewers attention away from what you find interesting. Once you've paired it down, start thinking about what perspective or camera angle will give you your shot.

Be looking for interesting items...how lines from objects form or intersect, cool textures, shadows from the sun, patterns that repeat themselves such as siding...or things that interrupt a pattern, such as a window next to the siding pattern.

This is how I was taught to approach composing an image. All that is required is a LOT of practice!