UtahWest Photographics - Basic Photography Course

UtahWest Photographic's Free Basic Photography Series

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Lesson Number Three

Composition

Photo 3.1 - Here the Rule of Thirds is applied to a photograph. Notice how the door of the chapel falls near the line's intersection and the bell tower flows almost vertically along one of the lines.

In order to be pleasing to the eye, all forms of art must have the proper composition. Just as there are millions, perhaps billions of songs, each one has it's own unique set of notes and time signatures making it separate and distinct from all others. Photographic composition is more difficult than composing in the other visual arts as painting and sculpting. A painter or sculptor can position his subject in any position he chooses. Photographers, many times do not have this luxury.

Composition is simply placing the subjects in the photograph into positions that make the entire photograph visually stimulating. Since the subjects of photographs cannot always be moved, the photographer must constantly be aware of the camera position in relation to the subject. Moving the camera closer or farther away from the subject or moving the camera higher or lower in relation to the subject can make vast differences in how the subject is perceived by the viewer.

One of the oldest rules of composition, which applies to all the visual arts, is the Rule of Thirds, or The Golden Mean. The Rule of Thirds states that a scene should be divided into thirds horizontally and vertically and that the parts of the whole scene should fall into a 1/3 or 2/3 proportion of the scene. Following the rule of thirds will simplify composition. Some cameras offer the availability of ground glass viewing screens with the horizontal and vertical lines etched into the glass.

Below are a few tips for good composition:

Do not place the subject at dead center.

Keep the subject away from the outside edges of the picture area.

Arrange light and shade so that the greatest contrast falls at the point of greatest interest.

The closer an object is to dead center, the less it catches the eye; the nearer the edge, the more it attracts the eye.

Lines intersecting at angles draw the eye; the nearer the angle is to a right angle, the stronger the pull.

Parallel lines that run across a picture tend to carry the eye right out of the picture.

For greatest interest, divide the scene into unequal divisions; do the same with the area around the main subject.

Photo 3.3 - In this photograph, the eye is led up the stairs and down to the door and back again, in an orderly progression. Notice how the stairs are the main subject and are conspicuous by size. They also fall along the imaginary intersection of lines in our Rule of Thirds

Never let a line cut your picture in half either horizontally or vertically.

Eliminate useless foreground or sky.

The main object should be the most conspicuous by size, contrast, or position.

The various elements of a picture should be arranged that the eye is led in orderly progression from one element to another, resting longest on the principle object.

The skyline should never be placed the center of the photograph. Place it about a third of the way from the top or bottom of the photograph.

The eye naturally follows light. Glancing across a picture it goes from the dark areas to the light ones.

A white spot on a black background pulls the eye more than a black spot on a white background. A small white spot on a black background pulls the eye more than a large white spot on the same background.

Which box attracts draws your eyes in the most?

Arrange the pattern of the picture so that the eye enters from the lower right or left hand corner.

In color photographs, the emphasis is on color and brilliance. In black & white photographs, the emphasis is on tones, textures, and contrast.

If the picture show people moving, leave more space in front of them. Similarly, leave more

Photo 3.4 - By using a reduced shutter speed and panning, or moving with the subject, the viewer can see the motion of the subject. If a fast shutter speed is used and the camera is in a stationary position the car will look like it is standing still. This kind of photography is very easy to sell.

room in the direction in which people are facing or looking.

Remember, all rules are made to be broken! Do what works for you!

Photo 3.5 - The angle of the train adds depth and leads the eye into the photograph. The conductor, to the left, gives balance to the composition.

Assignment

Look through the viewfinder in your camera and imagine lines being drawn vertically and horizontally, dividing your camera into the Rule of Thirds.

Photograph your subjects, under different lighting conditions, placing items with horizontal lines in the scene, across the imaginary top horizontal line in the viewfinder, using the Rule of Thirds.

Photograph your subjects, under different lighting conditions, placing items with horizontal lines in the scene, across the imaginary bottom horizontal line in the viewfinder, using the Rule of Thirds.

Photograph your subjects, under different lighting conditions, placing items with vertical lines in the scene, across the imaginary left vertical line in the viewfinder, using the Rule of Thirds.

Photograph your subjects, under different lighting conditions, placing items with vertical lines in the scene, across the imaginary right vertical line in the viewfinder, using the Rule of Thirds.

Keep these photographs with the photographs from Lessons Number One and Two. Mark each photograph showing which lesson they are from.

Look at the photographs from Lessons One and Two and see if they followed the Rule of Thirds and how they could be improved to make the composition follow the list of rules.

See if there are any of your photographs, that break the standard rules of composition, that are still pleasing to the eye.

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