subject: Photography With Correct Composition [print this page] Photography With Correct Composition Photography With Correct Composition
Composition is a critical component of fine photography. It is often what separates snapshots from outstanding photographs. There are, of course, other elements needed to make a wonderful picture, but the best lighting, the most expensive equipment, and the finest exposure will not overcome poor composition. Fortunately for you, composition is not an aspect of photography that requires professional-grade equipment or a large investment in either time or money to learn.
Depicting Life Horizontally
Anyone can pick up a camera, aim it at a subject, and press the shutter release. But you probably want more in your pictures than dull images. Making your photographs interesting, exciting, and meaningful requires a little more effort and skill.
Some subjects are meant to be captured on film horizontally. Others are not. Creative photographers know no boundaries. They let their artistic senses run wild. However, art takes on many forms, and which one to use may not be so evident to you.
When your goal is to create eye-catching scenic shots, a horizontal shot is often best. Pictures of cities, houses, cars, boats, and other similar objects are normally captured this way.
One rule-of-thumb to remember is if your subject is wider than it is tall, a horizontal format works best. Here's an example. Let's say you are at a family reunion, and you want to take a picture of your favorite niece and nephew. How should you frame this photograph? Vertically, since two people standing side by side are taller than they are wide. But, suppose you want to take a group shot of everyone attending the reunion. This would be a good time to shoot horizontally.
Many newcomers to photography don't consider holding their cameras in any way other than horizontally. Does your camera have lettering on the top of it that says, "This end up"? Don't get locked into looking at the world in only one way; you'll stifle your creativity and lower the quality of your photography.
Your Camera Is Sideways
You know a person is a rookie when you are taking a vertical shot and someone walks up to you and says, "Your camera is sideways". Look through your photo collection. How many of your memories are stored left to right instead of from top to bottom? Were most of your photos taken horizontally? Learning to take vertical shots comes naturally to people with a photographic eye, but the process is much more difficult for most people.
Go to a zoo, a park, a museum, or any other place where shutterbugs are prolific, and observe how the photographers are taking pictures. Most of them are probably holding their cameras all in the same position.
Pictures of people are almost always more effective when they are taken vertically. This is assuming that the person is standing up and is not part of a large group. If your child is stretched out on the floor looking particularly cute, or your subject is skiing, running, or involved in some similar activity, shoot horizontally.
Having empty space in front of your subject gives space for the subject to be moving into. However, vertical shots are still generally best for people.
Architecture is often framed vertically. So are wildlife subjects. Common sense plays a large role here in deciding which slant to use. When you look through your viewfinder, imagine the image you are looking at hanging on your wall. Turn the camera body and view the subject vertically and horizontally. Which looks best? Where is open space needed? As you become more comfortable with looking at your subjects through a lens, you will develop a natural feel for which angle works best.
Going Low for a Better Perspective
Lowering your body for a better perspective can produce stunning photographs. How often have you seen photographers get down on their knees to get a better angle? Or, lie down to take a picture? When you are taking pictures of live subjects, it is usually best to keep your camera at eye level with them. An adult taking a picture of another adult might do very well standing up. But, the same adult taking a picture of a child should lower the camera to the child's eye level.
If you are taking a picture of your dog, an even lower camera level might be needed. Viewers of your photographs will want to see the subject eye-to-eye. If you stand up and aim down at a dog or child, the picture will not be of professional quality. Seeking eye level with your subject is a rule you should always remember. However, if you're into snakes and scorpions, use a long lens.
As a professional photographer, I've gone to great lengths, and depths, to take the best pictures possible. When I wanted pictures of pink water lilies, I didn't stand on the bank of the pond and simply snap my camera. Instead, I went into the water and got up close and personal with the aquatic flowers. If you want exciting and professional-looking pictures, you have to do more than just point and shoot. Get involved with your subjects.
Try lying on your back under a colorful tree, and shoot upward. The results can be astounding.
Put a Tree Limb in the Picture
The next time you are taking a picture outdoors, consider including a tree limb in the picture. This tactic will add depth of field to your photograph. Assume that you are standing on the shore and watching colorful sailboats breeze by. You can aim directly at the boats and preserve their image on film, but the photo may not have much personality. If you position the sweeping limb of an evergreen in one corner of the picture, however, you will create a new look.
Imagine that you are attending a wedding and want your memories of it to be special. Lots of people are burning through memory cards with standard snapshot procedures. When it's your turn to photograph the bride and groom, you ask them to stand just on the far side of an open, arched doorway in the church. Your picture will stand head and shoulders above the rest. Adding the doorway has done many exciting things for your picture. It has provided depth, identified the location, and framed the couple. Simple little tactics like this make your main subjects stand out, and your photographs become more than casual snapshots.
Composing Odd Angles
When you slow down and look at a potential picture from all angles, you are more likely to find an ideal composition. Simply shifting from one side to another can give you a whole new perspective on a subject. Too many photo enthusiasts rush through their picture-taking techniques and miss out on unique photos.
Buildings with dome roofs, the cap of a mushroom, and a weathered rock are all objects that curve. Photographing these objects can be especially frustrating. Finding the right composition and maintaining a good field of focus can be difficult. When you are composing a picture where curves are present, you must decide where the curves will begin and end in your viewfinder. The size of your subject will, of course, dictate how much of it can be included in a picture.
Let's use a mushroom as an example. Assume that you are a nature photographer who wants to highlight the color and texture of a wild mushroom. The mushroom to be photographed is white with brown pigment mixed in along the top cap. Pine needles cover the forest floor and create a base and backdrop for your picture. All the conditions are right. How will you compose the picture?
The first step is to squat or kneel down low, so that your subject and lens are on the same eye level. A vertical format should be used to accommodate the stem of the plant. But, where will the curve of the mushroom cap be placed? One way is to place the cap near the top of your viewfinder. Focus until the edges of the curve nearly touch the edge of the frame.
The open space in each of the top corners of the viewfinder should be uniform in size. By keeping the lens level and shooting straight on in this manner, the field of focus will remain consistent. After taking this shot, experiment with shooting from the underside of the mushroom to capture the fluted sections of the umbrella.
Finding the Right Angles
Angles, like curves, can create composition problems for photographers. Learning to use angles in your composition, however, is not difficult.
Imagine a pheasant standing still, head up, tail down, posing for you in profile. Would you consider the pheasant to be an angle? Huh? Photographically speaking, the pheasant is an angle. The tail is low to the ground and the head is held high. If you could trace the bird's outline on paper, you would see a distinct angle being formed from head to tail.
How should you compose this picture? If the bird is standing still, one way is to put the tail in the bottom corner of your viewfinder and the head in the upper corner. This diagonal composition complements the bird's natural form. If the pheasant were walking or running, the tail could be placed in one corner, while the head lay just above one side of the middle of the frame. This would allow space for the bird to be moving into. If the pheasant were in flight, you could put the head in an upper corner, the tail in a lower corner, and allow the outstretched wings to reach into the two remaining corners. This would be an awesome shot.
Avoiding Dead-Center Syndrome
Dead-center pictures are a sure sign of amateurish work. Many cameras have circles in their viewfinders that indicate the center point, and far too many photographers use these circles as an aiming device. Just like many people who have trouble learning to invert their cameras vertically, many photographers have difficulty in breaking away from the dead-center syndrome. People see the little circle and assume that it should be right in the middle of Aunt Alma's nose. Well, it should not be.
Single subjects can be framed near the center of a photo, but they should be slightly above center and a little to the left or right of center. If you are taking a picture of a person but will not be doing a full-body shot, you must decide where the frame should terminate. Cutting someone off at the knees is not a good idea. Moving in closer or rearranging the subject for a better break point is more sensible.
Also, before you shoot, scan the edges of your viewfinder. Most poor composition is not recognized until the film has been developed and printed. By this time, it's too late. To avoid wasted time, lost memories, and agonizing moments reviewing your photos, clean up your viewfinder before you click the shutter.
People often photograph much more than they have to. This problem is most often associated with background interference. When a background is not adequately blurred with the use of a small aperture opening, distracting elements take away from the main subject.
A common cause for unwanted interference is that photographers are so focused on their subjects that they don't notice surrounding objects. If you spend all of your energy concentrating on your subject, you are sure to make some mistakes in composition. There is, however, a way to avoid this. Compose first, focus second, and then compose again.
After you have done your initial composition and focusing, scan all areas of the viewfinder for distractions. Start by going from edge to edge and corner to corner. Next, look for background flaws. If your camera has a depth of field preview button, use it. Many good pictures are tainted by busy and distracting backgrounds. Use a long lens or an open aperture to blur out such confusion. You want your subject to be the focal point of the picture.
Reflections, Shadows, and Other Hazards
Have you ever taken a picture of someone or something standing in front of a window or glass door while using an electronic flash? If you have, you've probably been plagued by blinding reflections of the flash in the glass. Avoid this during the composition stage by pulling drapes or curtains closed, or by relocating your subject.
Shadows can also be a big problem when flash pictures are taken. Get your subject to move well away from any wall or surface that might show off a shadow. By simply moving your subject during composition, you can save yourself from the shadow monster. If you're on vacation and taking family portraits, beware of signs, posts, and other objects that might sneak home with you in your camera. You must preview pictures before you take them.
If you can use a tripod to hold your camera, the process of checking a viewfinder is easier. The use of a zoom lens makes it easy to crop outside interference, and a fixed lens can eliminate bothersome images if you simply change position. The bottom line is this: don't push the shutter button until you are sure that the viewfinder contains everything you want and nothing that you don't.
