Composition

Continuing on the theme of rules, we now have the rule of composition; well really I would say the absence of a rule on composition.  The composition of a shot can be as planned as you want or as spur of the moment as the moments do present themselves. It can take weeks to setup a correct composition to the shot and can be a very daunting task. However you can also create beautifully composed shots in the blink of an eye.  It depends a lot on what you’re photographing, and the style of image you’re going for. When I was taking my composition shots I was trying to think about the focal of the picture and the things in relationship to the focal point. I would walk around a focal point and try to see which angle was the best composition. Also I think sometimes we get caught up with the distance and height to an image. Don’t forget you can get closer, farther away, above and below the focal to change your composition. Try not to become one dimensional and only photograph things as you think other people would see them. Part of photography is to push others into your way of thinking.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to composition, but you can fall far from the public interest if you compose your shot on the wrong thing or capture a not-as-meaningful picture. It’s not that your picture isn’t as good as the next; it could be that the viewer just doesn’t connect with your composition. That can happen with any aspect of photography and can be a hindrance to photographers that try to please other people with their pictures. I think you have to be able to take your mind out of the picture and just shoot what feels right. I think a lot of the times I over think a composed picture and it can take away from the life of the picture. I like having pictures that are spur of the moment and on a whim. However I also like landscape photography and it can take a while for the right shot to present itself there.

So what am I trying to say? Love what you do and take some time to plan out your shot and also be sure to (since we’re mostly digital now) snap away! I appreciate both facets of composition, the composed shots and the click clicks of the spur of the moments and I think that it’s important to have both in your bag of photography tricks. You don’t necessarily have to decide which path you’re closer to, as long as you know how to do both. Also remember even if your shot isn’t perfectly composed at first, there are always post editing and many programs out there that can help you compose them afterwards. You don’t always see the magic in your pictures as soon as you take them. Sometimes it takes a larger screen and another look!

Rule of Thirds

Every rule made was meant to broken, and over time has been. There are some made for our safety and others made for our benefit. However when it comes to photography these rules are more like a hazy line then something strictly enforced by the photograph police! The rule of thirds is a way of looking at pictures so they better catch our audience. However this rule is more of a concept then a specific rule. I find taking shots purposely to break the rule is artistic and creative. I also believe that the rule gives us great boundaries and can lead to particularly awesome shots. So which way is correct? No one really knows because photography in the long run is art. And who is to say that one form is better than the other?

          So to further explain the rules of thirds there is one basic component to remember…you already know it! Most people view their pictures in the rule of third because most photography we see in advertisements and in media is setup that way. So we have an inclination to automatically view our shots that way. The rule is that every picture is broken up into nine segments, basically turning the photograph into a graph. The basic principle of thought is to line up your photograph with the idea to have the focus on your image intersect one of the lines in the grid. It’s meant to make the picture be compromised to pull the viewer into the picture. It actually works! I took a series of pictures and showed them to my family and asked them to comment on which ones they liked better. They all chose the picture that followed the rule of thirds. I thought it was a pretty good experiment even if the median age was 15. I also reviewed a lot of pictures I had taken in the past before this class and was surprised in most of them I could apply the rule. Also surprising I had pictures that were some of my favorites that didn’t follow the rule.

I could be labeled as a rule breaker, and some of my teachers in the past may say I was, but I don’t feel bad about breaking or following this rule. I think it has both benefits and downfalls. The two that come to my head immediately is the benefit of the rule to make a composed and inviting picture and the benefit of not following the rule is a picture that is still engaging because of the different point of view the picture supplies. A downfall for both is that overthinking them could limit your creativity! So don’t worry about it too much, and start clicking! All in all I think it’s a wise move to understand the rule of the thirds and know how to apply it to your photographs and how to remove it also. You can always remove post production too if you find that you are already too brainwashed and your pictures come out in the rule!