composition
WHAT IS COMPOSITION?
• A pleasing arrangement of visual elements in
an image
• A way to draw the viewer’s eye to the
elements of an image that are of most
importance.
Composition
• The key is to remember that in
the same way as a chef rarely
uses all of the ingredients at
their disposal in any dish – that
a photographer rarely uses all of
the ingredients if composition in
the making of an image.’
• They are not rules…just things
to consider when setting up a
shot.
Composition
• What do you choose to include in an image,
and what do you leave out?
• What you choose to include should in some
way add meaning to the image.
• If an element does not add any meaning to an
image, or is distracting, then you should find a
way to compose the image so as to eliminate
in from the image.
Simplicity
• Keeping photos simple is a great way of
making sure that the viewer will know what
your photo is about.
cosmic rough riders:to be someone by Lali
Masriera
Untitled by sympathy
Simplicity
•
Look for uncomplicated backgrounds and try to focus on keeping objects out of
the picture that may draw attention away from your subject.
Tres son multitud... by Miguel Angel
Avoid Busy Backgrounds
Using the natural frame –
Simplifying in Camera
Fill the Frame
• Filling the frame makes it a lot more appealing
and clearly shows what you are trying to
display.
Depth of Field is a Part of Composition
Depth of Field
• Depth of Field can be as a tool in your
composition. It can be used to eliminate a
busy background and draw attention to the
subject.
LINES
• Lines help lead the viewer to the subject of
your photo by drawing the eye through the
picture.
Line
Ansel Adams, Road, Nevada Desert
Line
Tom Grill
Line
Lines can be a subject all by themselves
Line
Including pathways, roads, bends, and doors
• The viewer will have a natural curiosity for their eye
to travel through the photograph.
Where are the lines?
SHAPE
• City Shapes, Heather McFarland
Shape
• Edward
Weston…what do
you see?
Shape
Shape
Shape
TEXTURE
Texture
• Comes mostly with close-up photography,
organic or urban.
Texture
Texture
Texture
• Add interest by mixing textures
Texture
Texture
Nick Brandt
• Textural Photographer, involved in MJ videos,
takes photographs of wildlife in Africa.
• Photos are taken in the wild but look like they
were shot in a studio.
• Observe the textures.
REPETITION
Repetition: Chris Jordan
• Photographs capture American Mass
Consumerism?
• (Everything we throw away!)
• Repetition enforces this concept
Phones
Circuit boards
Bullet casings
Oil drums
cars
CONTRAST – the arrangement of opposite
elements to grab the viewers attention.
using color and value
contrast
contrast
contrast
contrast
contrast
Contrast
in visual relationship
Rosamond Purcell
Elephant bird and broad-tailed
humming bird eggs
contrast
Contrast in subject matter
Simon Norfolk
Former Teahouse at the
Afghan Exhibition of
Economic and Social
Achievements, 2001
Balloons were banned during the Taliban reign
FRAMING AND SUBJECT PLACEMENT
• How you choose to divide your frame and
where you choose to place your subject can
have and impact on not only the strength of
your composition, but also on the meaning of
your photograph.
• Equal distribution of visual weight creates
balance symmetrically or asymmetrically.
Symmetry
• Depending upon
the scene,
symmetry can lead
to a striking image
with a good point
of interest…without
it, it can be a bit
predictable.
Asymmetry
Rule of thirds
• We tend to put our subject in the center of the
frame, but it is not always the most interesting
composition.
• If we put our subject off center, we can include
other elements in our photo, and made the
image more interesting.
• Where should I put my subject?
• Imagine that there is a tic tac toe board on your
image.
• The most interesting places to put your subject
are on the places where the lines intersect.
Rule of thirds
Rule of thirds
Subject at edge of frame
• As opposed to filling the frame…
Photos by Arnold Newman
Subject at edge of frame
Achieving balance with Geometry
Achieving balance with geometry
• By positioning key aspects of your image on
points of a geometric shape you can help
create a balanced composition.
• Perhaps the most common and easiest way to
do this is to use a triangle shape…
FRAME WITHIN A FRAME
• Do NOT take this so literally!
Informative Internal Framing
• Choosing what you frame your subject
• with can impart meaning into your
• photograph.
Informative internal framing
In this image, the
family is internally
framed by the door
of the car. This
serves not only as
a visual
compositional
element, but also
serves to provide
emotional impact.
What do we know about this person?
Lewis Hine, building skyscrapers in NYC
REFLECTIONS
CAMERA ANGLE
• Make people look at things in a way they are
not used to…
Look up instead of down
Looking down allows you to learn
more about the subject in this photo…
Forced perspective
• Playing with scale to create an optical illusion
What elements of composition are
used in this photograph?
HOW DO I ACHIEVE GOOD
COMPOSITION?
• Work the same object multiple different
ways.
• Look for line, shape, texture, angle,
framing, etc in the same object.
• If 50 people photographed the same
object, you would have 50 different
photos, because everyone sees the world
differently.