Monday, 14 September 2015

Photography Composition Rules

1) The Rule of Thirds
The king of compositional rules! The basic theory goes like this: The human eye tends to be more interested in images that are divided into thirds, with the subject falling at or along one of those divisions. Imagine that your image is divided into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines. The rule of third says that you should position the most important elements in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect. Doing so will add balance and interest to your photograph.


 2) Balance
Placing your main subject off-centre, as with the rule of thirds, creates a more interesting photo, but it can leave a void in the scene which can make it feel empty. In other words a photo with a large subject positioned at one of those sweet spots may end up creating an image that looks tilted, or too heavy on one side. You should balance the "weight" of your subject by including a less important, smaller appearing object to fill the space.


3) Patterns
Patterns and symmetry appear everywhere, in both man-made settings and in natural ones. If you don’t notice patterns all around you, then you’re not looking hard enough. They can be very visually compelling because it suggests harmony and rhythm, and things that are harmonious and rhythmic make us feel a sense or order or peace. They can make for very eye-catching compositions, particularly in situations where they are not expected. Another great way to use them is to break the rhythm – then the eye has a specific focal point to fall upon, followed by a return to that harmonic rhythm.


4) Leading Lines
When we look at a photo our eye is naturally drawn along lines.. There are many different types of line - straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial etc - and each can be used to enhance our photo's composition. The human eye is drawn into a photo along lines–whether they are curved, straight, diagonal or otherwise. A line – whether geometric or implied – can bring your viewer’s eye into an image and take it wherever you want it to go. Diagonal lines in particular can be useful in creating drama in your image. They can also add a sense of depth, or a feeling of infinity. Converging lines give a strong sense of perspective and three-dimensional depth, drawing you into an image. Curved lines can lead you on a journey around the frame, leading you towards the main subject. Lines exist everywhere, in the form of walls, fences, roads, buildings and telephone wires. They can also be implied, perhaps by the direction in which an off-centre subject is looking. A poorly composed photograph will leave your viewers unsure about where to look, and their attention might drift aimlessly around the scene without finding a clear focal point.  ie. if your image doesn’t have clear lines you will need something else to let the viewer know where to look, otherwise their eye might just drift around the image.


5) Colour
Perhaps nothing can compete with colour as a tool for creating mood in a photograph. Cool colours like blues and greens can make your viewer feel calm, tranquil or at peace. Reds and yellows can invoke feelings of happiness, excitement and optimism. A sudden spot of bright colour on an otherwise monochromatic background can provide a strong focal point. How you use colour can dramatically change a viewer’s perception of an image. Bright primary colours really attract the eye, especially when they’re contrasted with a complementary hue. Scenes consisting almost entirely of a single hue can be very effective. And those with a limited palette of harmonious shades, such as softly lit landscapes, often make great pictures. Pay attention to the colours in everyday scenes and use them according to what you want your viewer to feel when looking at your image. The key is to be really selective about how you isolate and frame your subjects to exclude unwanted colours.


6) Fill The Frame
The “fill the frame” rule, on the other hand, simply means that you’re looking for distracting background elements and cropping them out whenever you can. In other words decide how important your subject is and then give him/her a ratio of the frame that is directly related to his/her importance. When you’re shooting a large-scale scene it can be hard to know how big your subject should be in the frame, and how much you should zoom in by. In fact, leaving too much empty space in a scene is the most widespread compositional mistake. It makes your subject smaller than it needs to be and can also leave viewers confused about what they’re supposed to be looking at. To avoid these problems you should zoom in to fill the frame, or get closer to the subject.


7) Depth
Depth is closely related to background, and is also dependent on the type of image you’re trying to capture. In a landscape, for example, you typically want everything to remain in focus. In a portrait, you may want that background to be out of focus. To isolate your subject from his or her background, use a wide aperture. To include the background, use a smaller one. What exactly this means I will explain in detail in my future blogs to come. Because photography is a two-dimensional medium, we have to choose our composition carefully to convey the sense of depth that was present in the actual scene. You can create depth in a photo by including objects in the foreground, middle ground and background. Another useful composition technique is overlapping. ie you deliberately partially obscure one object with another. Since the human eye is used to seeing closer objects appear to overlap objects that are at a distance, your viewer will automatically interpret this information as depth.


8) Background
How many times have you taken what you thought would be a great shot, only to find that the final image lacks impact because the subject blends into a busy background? This is one of those rules that almost all beginning photographers break. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our subject that we don’t pay any attention to what’s going on behind them. If the background is busy and doesn’t add anything to your composition, try using a wide lens aperture and a longer focal length to throw the background out of focus or try to change your position or angle. This should enough to replace a cluttered background with one that complements your subject nicely. Don’t just concentrate on your subject – look at what’s happening in the background, too. Not all backgrounds need to be excluded. Just make sure you pay attention to them and ask yourself whether they will contribute to or detract from your final image. Your answer will let you know whether you should get rid of them or include them.


9) Framing 
In photography, the term “natural frame” doesn’t necessarily mean a natural object. A natural frame can be a doorway, an archway – or the branches of a tree or the mouth of a cave or anything you can use in place of one of those expensive wood frames. By placing these around the edge of the composition you help to isolate the main subject from the outside world. The result is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest.


10) Viewpoint
Before photographing your subject, take time to think about where you will shoot it from. Our viewpoint has a massive impact on the composition of our photo, and as a result it can greatly affect the message that the shot conveys. Rather than just shooting from eye level, consider photographing from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a far distance, from very close up, crazy angles and so on. Same subject that looked boring from one angle might look very interesting and appealing from another angle.


11) Break The Rules.
Yes and finally break all the above rules. As the famous saying goes “Rules Are Meant To Be Broken”  It implies to photography as well.. Once you know the rules and then start breaking them deliberately, you will find a situation where things start to get interesting. However try to break one rule at a time. Most of the beginners break the rules by accident. Photo composition is a little like a visual language – you can use it to make your pictures pass on a specific message. However, just as we sometimes use the written word to create a deliberately jarring effect, we can do the same with photos by breaking with standard composition rules.








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