In terms of composition, the
Rule of Thirds
is the very elementary rule of placing the photograph somewhere other than
in the center of the picture. To create a more pleasing composition, a
mental "tic tac toe" board is created and the subject is centered in one of
the squares other than the center. This can be very effective, especially
in portrait photography or in some landscapes. The purpose of teaching this
first to students is to try to direct their eye in another direction
other than centering their subject in every photograph which is the normal
instinct. But this is the least important of the other rules of composition
that teach how to create an image with impact.
Other aspects of
composition: Leading lines
is often a valuable composition tool. Lines in a photograph can lead the
viewer up through the photograph - a railroad track or a path through a
garden or a flow of a river. These shots should be taken so that they lead
the viewer into the photograph and create a more interesting picture, rather
than from an angle or a side view.
Moving in Close
is a major rule of good composition, especially when photographing
portraits, people in candid situations, and group shots. Learning not to use
a zoom but to walk in closer is essential to "tack sharp" photographs and to
shots that show exactly what you are trying to project. Zooms cause lose of
light and slight blurring that is often not a good trade off. But zooming is
another subject all together with its major negatives and few positives.
Perspective:
When photographing a very large or very small object, it is important to
have another recognizable object in the photograph to create perspective. In
photographing the Temple of Amon at Luxor in Egypt. I waited for the perfect
lighting - just as the sun was setting. No shadows. But, to show those 8
story columns, I needed a person. I waited until the light was almost too
low, when an Egyptian in his white robes wandered in and sat down on one of
the stones. It made the photograph. It created the "wow". The other shots I
took while waiting for the one I wanted were OK, but showing perspective
(and luckily, he sat so that he was at the side of the photograph, so there
I had that "rule of thirds" and the pathway between the columns created the
"leading lines"). Without him, there was no way for the viewer to tell the
height of those magnificent columns.
Camera Cropping:
Looking around the viewfinder edges and not just at your subject is another
important element of composition which will involve moving closer or
changing angles to eliminate undesirable "noise" (yukky stuff you don't
want). Avoiding extraneous people in snapshots when you are trying to show a
particular group is important. Avoiding an extra arm, the telephone pole
growing out of the subject's head, etc. are majorly important; so is
avoiding shadows that partial cover a face or distract from the scene.
Another rule of composition
which is "Room to Move"
is essential in sports photography, wild animal photography, sailing, and
other subjects that involve motion. It is important that the subject not be
moving into the edge of the photograph but has "room to move" so that the
idea of motion is enhanced. Rule of Thirds also plays a role here since
placing the subject in the fatherst side "square" of your picture, will
create the illusion of running or moving. Lighting here would not create a
good photograph if the other rules were ignored.
"Subject of Interest"
is also an important element. Being sure
your subject is obvious is essential. Most of us hate the newspaper
photographs of lines of people all standing in a row facing the camera. I
call it "firing squad" photography - line 'em up and shoot 'em. So, the idea
of composition is to create not only an interesting photograph but one that
tells a story and holds the viewer's interest. A photograph with too many
people or objects or one that is too "busy" is not desirable since it ends
up being confusing. Letting the viewer know exactly what the subject is can
be essential to a good photograph.
Focus
is also part of composition - using depth of field to either blur unpleasant
items in the background or the foreground of the photograph to emphasize
your subject, or using a very high f-stop in order to have everything in the
photograph in focus is a choice of the photographer depending on how he can
best emphasize his subject. All of this is part of composition.
Lighting is
a part of photography and certainly an important part, but not the most
important part. Lighting can give the photograph the final punch it needs to
make it special. But, without good composition, lighting cannot make a
photograph a good one. Lighting is an entire long subject all its own. The
photographer can create better composition and a more interesting photograph
in some instances by using available light. Examples of this would be taking
a portrait with the subject in front of a window with one side of his face
lighted. Or using fill flash to take a person in front of a window with the
sun going through her hair. Or taking a person blowing out candles on a
birthday cake by having no light in the room and using no flash - only the
available light from the candles reflecting on the subject's face.
Light should always be taken
into consideration but "light" involves many other subjects (a class all by
itself) such as time of day, angle of light, proper use of flash, bounce
flash use, light reflectors, avoiding glare from glass and mirrored
surfaces, reflection in mirrors - deliberate and otherwise - and general
lighting conditions. And that is only inside photography. Outside is another
issue all together. All of us know that the photographer's dream light is
just before dusk or just after dawn. Shadows are difficult so the
photographer needs to be very careful that shadows in their photo are meant
to be there. We cannot always choose our lighting conditions in terms of
time of day, but we can move ourselves or our subjects so that the lighting
is more favorable at any time of day.
My field is travel
photography, as you know, so I am a "shoot and run" photographer. I normally
have 2-3 seconds to get a shot so I travel with 3 cameras set to different
f-stops and camera settings (this applies to my digital cameras as well -
every camera, digital or otherwise, has optional manual settings). As a
result, I tend to take many more shots than I would normally like in order
to get as much desirable lighting effect as possible. I can create my own
composition keeping in mind all the "rules" I now automatically use after
many years of doing it, but must deal with existing light in most
situations. Unlike studio photography or planned shots, I normally have
little control over the light in a given situation. So, relying on
composition for me has been a mainstay of my photography. I hope for good
lighting and create what I can, but I rely on composition.
I learn something from every
person who takes photographs whether they started yesterday or 20 years ago.
We all learn from every photograph we take or see and studying what we have
done and learning from it is the best way to improve. I enjoy learning more
each day about photograph. I look forward to the club meetings.
Lynda