Elements of Composition

Composition

The rule of thirds

The rule of thirds involves mentally dividing up your image using 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines, as shown below. You then position the important elements in your scene along those lines, or at the points where they meet.

(http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/rule-of-thirds)

The idea is that an off-centre composition is more pleasing to the eye and looks more natural than one where the subject is placed right in the middle of the frame. It also encourages you to make creative use of negative space, the empty areas around your subject.

Composition can be defined as the arrangement of visual elements in a picture or image, a way of ordering the visual information. Once we see things that are of interest, we need to isolate parts of the scene and organize the important visual elements within our viewfinder to depict what we want to convey to the viewer.

Elements of Design

Lines

A line represents a path between two points, and can be either straight, curved, vertical, horizontal, diagonal or zigzag. Lines imply motion and suggest direction or orientation. Lines that converge suggest depth, scale and distance and a line is also an effective element of design because it can lead the viewer's eye into and out of the frame.

Curved Lines that lead the eye

"http://www.photowalkingutah.com/2008/10/use-leading-lines-to-enhance-shot.html"

Converging Lines creating depth

"http://digital-photography-school.com/converging-lines"

Colour

Colour can be used to draw attention to a particular part of the image or used to create harmony or contrast. We can provoke different emotions with the correct use of colour and colours can be warm or cold.

Warm colour drawing all attention to the car and perhaps provoking thoughts of 'danger'.

"Helen Levitt - Cat next to red car, New York - 1973"

Cold colour that provokes emotion

"http://itsmypulp.wordpress.com/2007/03/03/photographic-elements-1-colour/"

Viewpoint

Using wide angle, upwards views can dramatically alter the effect of an image.

"http://www.123rf.com/photo_7546321_low-angle-view-of-skyscrapers-in-manhattan-new-york-city-ny-usa.html"

Wide angle view of tops of aspen trees and sky

"http://www.slrobertson.com/galleries/usa/colorado/fall-color/wide/aspen-sky-1.htm"

Numbers

As a rule we are told that 'odd numbers' are better than 'even numbers', in photography. This often leads us to creating 'triangles or pyramids rather than squares', within our composition.

Comparison between 4 and 3 strawberries

This photo of four strawberries is quite bland and boring. It is difficult to find the center of focus in this image.
Read more at http://www.photoshoptutorials.ws/other-tutorials/photography-tutorials/10-important-tips-improve-composition-photos/#Fckzcf3Gozjf7s3d.99

A similar image but with just three strawberries. Although just the image is similar to the previous photo, the odd number of strawberries make it significantly more interesting.
Read more at http://www.photoshoptutorials.ws/other-tutorials/photography-tutorials/10-important-tips-improve-composition-photos/#Fckzcf3Gozjf7s3d.99

This photo of 4 strawberries is quite bland and boring. It is difficult to find the centre of focus in this image

"http://www.photoshoptutorials.ws/other-tutorials/photography-tutorials/10-important-tips-improve-composition-photos/"

A similar image but with just three strawberries. Although just the image is similar to the previous photo, the odd number of strawberries make it significantly more interesting.

Pattern

Pattern uses elements that are repeated. The repetition of lines, shapes, tones or color can create interesting images. A repetitive pattern that fills the frame gives the impression that the pattern is massive and goes beyond the image even if the pattern or repetition is only enough to fill the screen. This is done to take images of people’s faces in a group or crowd or an assembly of arranged bottles in a factory.

Factory Bottles but perhaps not as many as the eye perceives

"http://flickr.com/photos/monster/19350697/"

Giant Lobelia that utilizes both pattern and spiral shape in it's composition

Pattern is not one of the six classic design principles, but it is one of the more important visual elements in modern photography. Finding a compelling pattern is almost a guaranteed way to capture an amazing photograph. Patterns appear everywhere in our world–in the bark of a tree, the honeycomb in a bees’ nest, or in a neat row of products on a store shelf. A pattern is any repeated object, color or shape – which sounds pretty basic until you start paying attention and then realize that you’ve been looking right past them for most of your life. Whenever you’re out with your camera, start training yourself to find patterns. In many cases, simply zooming in on a pattern will create the illusion of infinite repetition. You can also add interest by breaking up a pattern; a neat row of oranges, for example, will look much more interesting if you place a single lemon at one of the “rule of thirds” intersection - See more at: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/2679/six-classic-design-elements-for-outstanding-photographs/#sthash.klR3gWZj.dpuf

"Photograph by George F. Mobley"

Pattern is not one of the six classic design principles, but it is one of the more important visual elements in modern photography. Finding a compelling pattern is almost a guaranteed way to capture an amazing photograph. - See more at: http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/2679/six-classic-design-elements-for-outstanding-photographs/#sthash.UGSlPDqp.dpuf

Trish Molyneaux - Access to H E Diploma Photography

Wednesday 30 October 2013