This post is part of a series entitled A Year With My Camera.
Lesson 2.2 in my own words
- Where do you put your subject?
- Consider viewpoint first.
- Next, decide precisely where in the frame to put the subject.
- Why just one subject?
- The viewer will instinctively search the photo for something to rest their eyes on.
- Without a distinct focal point, the image conveys chaos, unsettledness, randomness, restlessness
- One distinct focal point gives the viewer something to find and look at.
- The photographer's goal is to compose the photo in a manner that leads their eye to that focal point.
This week's project
- Using just one subject, choose at least one of the following composition techniques with which to experiment.
- Rule of thirds - Imagine the frame divided into thirds (vertical and/or horizontal). Place the subject on one of the imaginary lines that divides the frame into thirds.
- Leading Lines - Visual prompts that lead the eye to the subject. For example: footpaths, walls, shadows, etc.
- Background separation - Use distinct contrast between the subject and the background. For example: color, light and dark, texture, depth of field, etc.
|Rule of thirds
And in case you couldn't visualize what I meant by rule of thirds in my description, here's the same photo with the grid lines Gimped on.
|Rule of thirds grid
What I learned
This lesson was a refresher for me. I didn't learn anything new, but I had an opportunity to practice it with the camera.