Hello there, dear picture makers! I love calling you that, picture makers, because that is what you have been doing, making pictures. This past week's challenge was all about tripod shooting and working on creating a creative selfie using a tripod. How did things go? I can't wait to see what you've come up with.
This week we're going to be tackling composition. Whew, there are so many aspects of composition. Learning composition fundamentals is a great way to start training your eye artistically. Understanding the components of composition is what helps you create and see what you want to photograph. It took me a long time to really start seeing photo compositions. It was rather quite frustrating getting started. I wanted to create well composed images right from the beginning, but that was not the case without lots of practice. And even with all the practice under my belt I still have much to learn.
RULE OF THIRDS :
The rule of thirds is probably the first composition principle I learned as a photographer. And it is one I use the most. As seen in the photos below the image is broken up into three quadrants with nine equal parts. When taking a photo using the rule of thirds you want to place your subject or point of interest in one of the four intersecting points.
FILL YOUR FRAME:
Filling your frame is as simple as it sounds. Fill your frame with your subject. Fill your frame by capturing moments between people, details of someone's face, or the details in nature. Often times filling our frame means that we have to get close. We either need to walk closer to our subject or we have to use a zoom lens. Either way, we have to get close.
Usually when creating a photo with symmetry, the symmetry is perfect. I wanted to include this example, below, of symmetry because it includes another really important element of composition, which is rule breaking. Composition principles are comprised of rules, but when creating photos, it's important to remember to break those rules and find your own style. Technically, this may not be a symmetric photo. But I wanted to include it because the symmetry is represented by the photos balance.
NEGATIVE SPACE :
It took me a long time to embrace using negative space to compose my photos. It can be rather tricky at times. Negative space is the area which surrounds your main subject. Negative space is a great example of creating a minimalist photo. I am often focused on my subject and not always the area around my subject, so I fill my frame. Which in turn can leave my photo looking busy and cluttered. Negative space allows you to take advantage of the space around your subject and create greater emphasis on your main subject.
Have any photography questions? Send them my way. xo. Samantha