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Composition
By Kevin Hoffman
Time and time again we have been asked, “How do you
take a good picture?” Well, the truth is, there is no direct answer to
this question. Obviously it takes a lot more than just knowing how to
use the camera, otherwise we could all just read the manual and suddenly
become artists. No, there are too many factors involved in taking a
photograph to be able to say, “This is what you should do.” One of the
largest factors in the success of a photograph is in the composition.
Composition is basically how you arrange the subjects and bring forth
the emotion of what you see into a photograph. One of the most important
things to remember when you are taking a photograph is that what you see
is not what the camera sees. When you look out at a beautiful sunset for
instance, your eyes are constantly focusing, constantly scanning, and
constantly gathering information. Your brain takes the information you
see and adds to it what you hear and smell and feel. By combining all of
this your rain is able to give you a three-dimensional perception of the
emotion of what you are looking at. Unfortunately a camera does not have
a brain like we do. It can only focus on one thing at a time, and it can
only provide a two-dimensional display of what it sees. Our job as
photographers is to take as much of the three-dimensional perception
that we feel and display it through a two-dimensional photograph. While
there are no hard and fast rules to do this, there are some guidelines
that you can follow that will help you in becoming a better
photographer.
Main Subject
The first step in arranging a proper composition is
determining the main subject of your photograph. It may sound foolish
but have you ever looked at a picture and weren’t sure what exactly you
were supposed to be looking at? Let’s say for example you are on
vacation and you want to take a photo, of the city you are in. You see a
street with lots of buildings, there are people and cars moving up and
down the street, there is activity all around. As a photographer it is
up to you to decide what part of what you see will most highlight the
experience of being in that city. Is it the buildings? Is it the people?
Is it the traffic on the street? Whatever it is it needs to be the main
subject of your photo. That’s not to say the other things can’t be in
the photo at all, in fact just the opposite is true. You will want them
in the photo to help give depth and meaning to the main subject. But to
just take a picture of things in general will more often than not lead
to just another snapshot for the dresser drawer. A good photo will
usually have a clearly defined main subject. If your main subject is too
large to be considered a focal point, such as with a body of water, or a
mountain range, try placing something else in the shot. For instance a
group of trees, or a boat would give the viewer something familiar to
relate with and help to accent the main subject.
Rule of Thirds
Many people tend to overlook the importance of a
properly arranged piece of work. They do not give thought to how the
main subject is portrayed in the photo and more often than not end up
putting it right smack in the middle of it all. To avoid this mistake
here’s what you should do. Imagine in your viewfinder that there are two
horizontal lines giving you three equal sections up and down, and two
vertical lines giving you three equal sections across, similar to a
Tic-Tac-To board or a pound sign (#). By doing this you will end up with
four interior corners where those lines intersect, placing the main
subject in any of these intersections will typically end up giving you
an interesting composition. While this approach may seem unnatural,
especially to a beginner, trust us, there is seldom anything more
unoriginal or boring than to have the main subject right in the middle
of it all. Please note there are exceptions to every rule, and portrait
or group photos are one of the exceptions to the Rule of Thirds.
Fill it up
Another common mistake for the beginner is having
too much dead space in the frame. You have all the space you see in your
viewfinder you might as well use it. Don’t be afraid to get close or
zoom in on your main subject, after all, that’s what your photo is
supposed to be about. Again we’re not saying there should be nothing in
your frame except the main subject, but we are saying it should fill
enough of the frame that it becomes obvious what the picture is about.
Lines and Patterns
When you are composing a scene, look for lines or
patterns in the subject or nearby. They can help move the viewer’s eyes
through the scene. As we said earlier, we are trying to relay the depth
of what we’ve seen into a two-dimensional image. Nothing can help
portray depth better than a road or stream cutting through the image. It
gives us something familiar to view and helps to lead us through the
scene. You would be surprised at the number of things that can be used
for lines or patterns in an image. A row of trees, a fence line, a
skyline, railroad tracks, or even utility lines can all help to lead a
viewer through an image.
Perspective
Sometimes the straightforward way is not always the
best way. Try changing your prospective before taking a photo. Try
turning the camera vertically instead of horizontally or shooting at a
different angle, squat down, or stand on something. Photography is about
expression, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different approaches.
Remember one of the traits of a good photographer is originality so
don’t be afraid to try something new.
Depth of Field
Depth of Field refers to the area of clear focus in
a photograph. When you focus your camera on a subject, the subject is
not the only clear image in the photo. There will be some areas in front
of and behind the main subject that will also be in clear focus. This
area is referred to as Depth of Field, and it can be an extremely
important element in a composition. Using depth of field you can isolate
your subject from its background, or allow the entire photo to be in
crisp detail. Both of which can make an otherwise dull photo look very
dramatic.
Action
As odd as it may sound, sometimes you just
shouldn’t stay still while you are taking a picture. The movement of a
camera during the taking of a picture can sometimes lead to some
dramatic effects. For instance, the next time you see a car driving down
the street, instead of standing still and taking a picture as the car
goes by, try following the car with the camera while you take the photo.
The outcome will leave you with a clear picture of the car, while the
rest of the background is blurred. Quite the opposite of what you would
have if you were standing still.
Breaking the rules
We’ve talked about some guidelines and some ideas
for composition. And for beginners it may be a good idea to follow them
for a while until you’ve gained some knowledge and experience in
photography. But aside from that, you don’t have to follow the
guidelines. Nothing bad will happen if you don’t. One of the greatest
things about being a photographer is being able to express yourself in
ways that others don’t. Indeed some of the greatest artwork in the world
is outside the guidelines of composition. But most professional
photographers stay within these guidelines because they will usually do
a wonderful job of helping to relay the feelings their photos are trying
to express. |
