3D Compositon
For this second lesson, we are going to talk about composition.
From Wikipedia:
composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art.
I would like to add that, for photography especially, compositional elements exist in all three dimensions, but I am getting ahead of myself.
Most traditional compositional rules are derived from painting, so let’s start with those…
Not all sections of an image have equal “strength”. That is, our eyes tend to remain, and indeed to be drawn to certain areas of an image. Dead centre is the weakest area. A subject has to be very strong to hold our eye dead centre. Conversely, a subject off centre (traditionally 1/3, or on the golden mean{{1}}) have greater draw for our eyes. Unfortunately, if your subject is too close to an edge, it can draw a viewers eye completely out of the frame.
Our eyes are also drawn to contrast within an image. Bright areas, or an area of contrasting colour can draw our eye our of proportion to the space it occupies in the frame. Our eyes are also drawn to sharp focus areas, vs blurry areas. Knowing this, we can control a viewers eye, making it bounce between a sharply focused, but darker area, and a brighter, out of focus highlight, for example. Controlling this motion can create visual tension, and life in an image. I would argue that a more “artistic” definition of composition incorporates this control of the viewers eye.
Now we can get into shapes and lines. Our eyes tend to follow both real and “imaginary” lines (A line between the focused area and the highlight for example). Our eyes (and brain attached) are very good at finding shape and pattern, even if such pattern doesn’t really exist. Think about looking at clouds. There isn’t really a picture of a pig up there, but we tend to fill in the spaces to make it look that way. We also bring our experiences of the real world when viewing art. We know that a pencil standing on end is less stable than one lying flat, therefore horizontal lines are more calm than verticle lines. Circles like the sun are more calming than triangles like a wolf’s teeth.
I don’t want to get into “rules” of composition though. These “rules” can easily become a crutch in their own right. It is important though to look past the subject matter in your photograph and see the shapes and tones to understand how the composition works. Pay attention to where your eye tends to dwell. How does your eye move through the picture? A good tool to help abstract the image is to look at it upside down or sideways. Does the composition still work? Why, or why not?
There is another concern when translating reality into a flat photograph. Reality has depth. There can be a foreground, mid-ground and background. You need to be aware of the relationship between these three areas so they won’t ruin your image. You may have a great photo of your mother-in-law, positioned in a strong third of the frame, but there is an ugly tree growing out of her head. Foregrounds can also cause problems.
With a more sophisticated camera, you can control the depth of focus, but even with a fully automatic camera, you can still be observant and control your image. When you look through the viewfinder, slow down and look at all areas of the image. Try to imagine what it will look like as a flat print (or on your monitor). Teach yourself to notice the details before you click the shutter.
In the first lesson, we did a quick critique of some images. Get in the habit of critiquing your images. What do you like about them? What can you improve? The next step is to critique your photos before you even take them. I used to go out photographing with a friend who always asked me, “What are you trying to say?” You may just be saying,”This is my son.” or you may be saying something more profound, but do all the elements you are choosing to include in the frame emphasize this message? This is my son, but try to ignore the busy background full of boats may not work, you may have to change your message to “This is my son at a marina.” Now you need to figure out how to communicate this new message. Maybe a different point of view would work better, maybe a change in composition. Making your son larger, or smaller in the frame can change how a viewer will interpret the image.
There are many books about composition, and many scholars argue over many issues, but in a nutshell, a composition works if a viewer appreciates it. Rules are made to be broken. If you are unsure of an image, get some feedback on it. If people like it, the composition works. Remember too, there is no such thing as a “correct” composition. An image could be taken multiple ways that still “work.” Never be afraid to experiment. Take an extra photo or two. You can always delete the ones that you don’t like, but always ask yourself why don’t you like them? What would you do different next time?
[[1]]if you divide a square frame into 1/3 sections, or according to some, a slightly more complicated ratio, you end up with 4 points where these lines cross. These points are deemed the strongest points of the frame.[[1]]