Composition - Part II

Last time I discussed some elements that would make good photo composition. Such as the rule of thirds, depth of field, leading lines, and texture and pattern. However, composition does not just end here. There are lots more to it than meets the eyes. Before writing this and the previous post, I did lots of research on photography composition and not one website has the same advice. But here are a few more composition elements that will help make your photo “pop”.

Simplicity
      By keeping the scene minimal, our brain quickly picks out subject of interest. But the camera does not discriminate, it captures everything the frame will allow. Then it is up to you to choose the subject by selecting a focal length or camera viewpoint that would make subject the center of attention.

f/4.5, 1/1600, ISO 100

Fill the Frame
       When shooting a large-scale scene, leaving too much space will make the subject seem small and loses the focus as being center of attention. Zoom in to fill in the space, or get closer to the subject. Use nature elements, like trees, to fill in the spaces around the frame.

f/9, 1/320, ISO 100

Background
      Busy background makes the subject blend in and loses the focus. Simple background, or using focal length to blur out the background are great ways to allow the subject to tell the story.

f/10, 1/160, ISO 100

Foreground
      Instead of having the horizon in the middle of the picture, shift it up or down based on what is the subject. For example, if the sky is the subject, lower the horizon, and vise versa.

f/16, 1/80, ISO 200

View Point
      Before snapping the picture, think about where do you want to position the subject of interest. If you have been snapping at eye level, maybe switching the view point to above or below the subject.

Here is a picture of my sister when we were at Bayou Festival in New Orleans. Instead of snapping a portrait of her, I took the picture from above.

f/5.6, 1/160, ISO 400

Go Crazy
      It is important to understand the concept of composition, but bending rules sometimes bring out jarring effects. While writing this post, I had a hard time finding pictures that would fit these composition element categories. Everything I know about photography so far is by experimentation and practice. Now I know what look for before snapping. You see, there is still so much to know about photography and I am just getting started.

f/4.2, 1/13, ISO 3200

Sources: 
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/04/12/10-rules-of-photo-composition-and-why-they-work/ http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-top-photography-composition-rules http://photo.tutsplus.com/tutorials/composition/master-the-art-of-photographic-composition/

Pin It