WHAT IS COMPOSITION IN PHOTOGRAPHY?
A recurring theme throughout this course deals with the difference between a photograph and a quick snapshot. Taking time to plan and be purposeful about your images will help you develop a style and elevate your photography. We begin that process with composition. What makes it into your frame, and what doesn’t?
KEY
TAKE-AWAYS
6 Rules of composition
Cropping
Open vs. closed composition
OVERVIEW
An
3.1: What is composition?
Picture composition is one of the most important aspects of a great photograph. What you include in the image (and what you don’t), and how you arrange the elements within the frame, makes all the difference to the overall success of the image. Will your photo have impact? Will it convey your message?
The purpose of making a photograph is to convey facts, ideas, or feelings. The photographer's vision is what guides composition. Two photographers shooting the exact same scene at the exact same time may choose entirely different compositions, each trying to tell their personal interpretation of the scene. There’s no right or wrong, but the elements included, and the perspective taken, should serve to strengthen the story being told.
All this implies that you actually do have a vision, or a story to tell with your image. In fact, that’s one of the first keys to making a good photograph. Understanding why you want to take the picture, and analyzing what has attracted you to the scene, allows you to emphasize the right elements in your picture so that your message is conveyed to the viewer. Once you master the different aspects of good photographic composition, you can begin to make deliberate choices about how you use them to express your own vision.
Six
RULES
of Composition
Simplify
Eliminate distractions
Rule of thirds
Position your subject
Visual weight
Major-minor
Once you understand the vocabulary of images in the form of visual design elements, you then need to understand the grammar. How you assemble the elements together determines whether the final image works or not. In fact, the photographic rules of composition are not hard and fast rules; rather, they are guidelines that you can use to combine your picture elements so that you tell your story most effectively. You need to be aware of them, but they cannot guarantee a good image. It’s up to you to learn when to apply them — and when to break them. This comes through practice and experience.
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READINGS
Each of the following readings explains the categories within each heading.
CROP
The
Cropping photos refers to removing parts of the photographs to emphasize the subject and remove distractions. What you choose to include in (and exclude from) your image sends a strong message about what you want to call attention to. Where you place the boundaries of the image, relative to the individual elements within it, contributes to the overall design of the image and that design underlines the image’s message.
It is worth mentioning that it is more efficient to crop before you press the shutter button compared to opening up multiple files and editing them in Photoshop. Deciding on your cropping while you are looking at your scene through the viewfinder will save you time and focus your attention on what you are trying to capture. Conversely, if you crop something out of your photo you can't add it back in later. If you are unsure, shoot a little wider and give yourself room to crop later. Cropping decisions get easier with practice.
Open vs. closed composition
CLOSED COMPOSITION
Composition can be divided into two types. Open and closed. A closed composition is one where everything that matters in the photo, the entire subject, fits within the border of the frame. There is nothing leading the viewer away or outside the frame. An example of this might be a portrait. Typically, these are static, stable images.
OPEN COMPOSITION
Conversely, an open composition tends to break out of the frame. This can mean that some of the subject extends outside of the physical frame, but it can also mean that the photo's content is expansive. Perhaps this is due to motion in the scene, movement of the subject, or the nature of the particular subject matter. A wide, expansive landscape lends itself to an open composition because the nature of the photo encourages the viewer to imagine beyond the borders of the image. That said, a narrow field of view, cropped in tight can also be an open composition. Consider a tight crop of someone's eye. There's more to the subject that has been purposely omitted and this may cause the viewer to wonder about the person's other features.
ReadingS
Read the following article:
Naryskin, R. (2018, February). Open and Closed Composition. Photographylife, Retrieved from https://photographylife.com/open-and-closed-composition
Review the questions found in the ‘Assignment for Beginners’ near the bottom of the article.
IN-CLASS ACTIVITY 3.1
Blog: Taking photos for Completion Tasks
