..The
title of this section, is often interpreted
incorrectly. In fact, it may appear to be a lie. We
do not intend to force you to take photographs, that
only adhere to a list of principles.
Photography and composition have
been defined as the strongest ways of
"seeing". Seeing is the way you perceive
things. We strongly encourage you to try and try
again. Practice is the only real key to success.
Without practice, theories will turn out useless.
NOTHING that you try while applying some effort, is a
waste of time or materials. Always remember that you
are in a process of combining knowledge and
imagination.
So instead of placing rules on
your work, we can draw some guidelines to help you
when you are creating your image. Never the less,
these guidelines are by no way intended to restrict
your imagination and creativity, they are simply to
guide your understanding and help increase aesthetics
in your composition.
Simplicity
- There should be nothing in the image that does not
in some way contribute to the overall quality of the
image. This is not to be interpreted as only to have
simple photographs. It is rather suggesting that all
the elements in your photograph should have some
purpose.
Focal Point
- No matter how many subjects or objects your image
has, it is important to have a center of interest.
The purpose for this is to give the image some depth.
If you have several subjects, try closing them
together or making it more dynamic by overlapping the
subjects, or having them doing something, suggesting
activity. By doing this you may choose to keep your
background and foreground out of focus.
Center of Interest
- Not to be confused with focal point, center of
interest, is the actual subject, or object being
photographed. Completely different from a focal
point, center of interest is strategic placement of
subjects or objects in the frame to give the image
structure. The "center" in Center of
Interest does not actually mean placing the subject
in the center of the frame. We strongly recommend
obeying the "rule of thirds" to give the
composition some strength and visual ease. Below is a
simple diagram of the areas you should place your
subject(s). It is called the rule of thirds because
the frame is broken up into a 3 x 3 grid. Each square
is an optimal location for a center of interest.
In
the above example, the subject is placed mostly in
the right third of the frame. By placing your subject
to the side, you move away from the plain and
ordinary look. Centering your subject is an easy trap
to fall into, because most viewfinders are equipped
with targeting aids. These often make it forgettable
to place you subject in a different location than the
center.
Dominant
Lines - Strong lines often give
a sense of definition. It might be a long road
pointing endlessly down a dessert setting, or a rope
from a large ship getting closer from the top corner
of a frame to the opposite corner. Dominant lines are
important because they can divide your image into
thirds, fourths, even fifths. Thirds are more
interesting, but the Ancient Greeks said the best
proportion was the "gold section" : roughly
3/5.
Converging
Lines - Horizontal lines that
converge add the illusion of depth to a scene. Linear
perspective has been around since the Renaissance
painters discovered it's importance in placing
emphasis on certain objects or following a path while
looking into a photograph or painting. Vertical
converging lines are often seen in tall building
photographs, looking up from the base of tall
structures.
Subject
and Background Relationship -
Having a light subject on a dark background or vice
versa, can give a contrast that provides strong
definition of your subject. This is a very important
element to consider when composing. It can eliminate
confusion or difficult viewing of images. It is
always important to use reciprocal colors between
subjects and backgrounds, whenever possible or
desired.
So
the rules are not actually rules, rather they are
merely a set of basic guidelines, that every
photographer breaks successfully in almost every
image he or she takes. These suggestions will give
you some insight and help develop strong perspective
when taking photographs.
.....