Guidelines for Better Photographic

Composition: Introduction

Have you ever wondered why some pictures are more appealing than
others . . . .

. . . why some are left hanging in galleries for months or even years to be
enjoyed by thousands?

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Have you ever wondered why some photographers consistently win the praises of
judges and critics?

One of the main reasons why some pictures are more outstanding than others is
because of their strong composition. That's what this program is all about.
We're going to consider how composition can improve your photographs.

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Good composition is a subject with a history of its own. The Greeks and
Romans were practicing it 2,000 years before photography! It's obvious in their
architecture.

And today, composition continues as an important part of contemporary

architecture. One definition for photographic composition is simple: the
pleasing selection and arrangement of subjects within the picture area.

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Some arrangements are made by placing figures or objects in certain
positions. Others are made by choosing a point of view. You can shift
your camera very slightly and make quite a change in composition.
Some snapshots may turn out to have good composition, but most good
pictures are created. How do you create a picture? First learn the
guidelines for good composition.

After you've learned the guidelines, you'll realize that well-composed

pictures often take careful planning and sometimes patient waiting.
You'll find that the composition guidelines will become part of your
thinking when you're looking for pictures, and soon they will become
second nature to you.

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 In this program, we'll discuss:

 Simplicity
 The Rule of Thirds
 Lines
 Balance
 Framing
 Avoiding Mergers

Think of these not as rules but as simple guidelines

Photographic composition is an expression of your natural sense of

design. These guidelines will help you sharpen your natural sense of
composition and take better pictures.

Simplicity
The first and perhaps the most important guideline is simplicity. Look
for ways to give the centre of interest in your pictures the most visual
attention. One way is to select uncomplicated backgrounds that will not
steal attention from your subjects.

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Let's see how we can improve this photo by looking for visual
simplicity. First let's decide if we want our centre of interest to be the
public telephone, the bridge, or the cactus.

We chose the cactus as the main subject. And by moving in closer and
using the plain sky as the background, we have simplified and improved
the appearance of this photograph.

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We're certainly close enough to our subject in both pictures, but the busy
background on the left camouflages the seagull. Just change your point
of view slightly and, presto, your seagull stands with visual prominence
against the blue sky.

Compose your photograph so that your reason for taking the picture is
clearly seen. Arrange other parts of the picture area in such a way as to
complement what you choose to be the centre of interest. Most of us
would prefer the picture on the right because the parking lot tends to
contradict the feeling of antiquity related to this mission.

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Remember: we're talking about composition simplicity, and here's
another decision you'll probably have to make. How much of your
subject should you include, and should it be framed horizontally as we
have done here?

Or perhaps you'd prefer to frame your subject in the vertical format, as

we've indicated with these frame lines. The choice is yours.

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So, you can simplify your pictures and strengthen your centre of interest
by selecting uncomplicated backgrounds, avoiding unrelated subjects,
and moving in close. If you want to make your centre of interest even
more dynamic, place it slightly off centre in your frame as we have done
with this young artist.

Generally, pictures with subjects directly in the centre tend to be more

static and less interesting than pictures with off-centre subject
placement.

Rule of Thirds
You can use the rule of thirds as a guide in the off-centre placement of
your subjects. Here's how it works.

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Before you snap the picture, imagine your picture area divided into
thirds both horizontally and vertically. The intersections of these
imaginary lines suggest four options for placing the centre of interest for
good composition. The option you select depends upon the subject and
how you would like that subject to be presented.

We picked the upper-right position for this subject so that we could see
the full shadow and most of the tracks that lead to the seagull.

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The lighthouse seems well placed in the upper right just because the rest
of the scene fits nicely into the format.

Here's a case where you have excellent subject control. You can have the
model pose anywhere along the walkway. The rule of thirds indicates
this placement which also gives the model a definite path to follow
within the picture area.

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You should always consider the path of moving subjects and, generally,
leave space in front of them into which they can move.

If you don't, here's what can happen! This jogger looks like she's going
to run right out of the picture.

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By placing the subject in the lower-left position, we've used the rule of
thirds and given the jogger plenty of room to run within the picture.

Here's another action shot where it's important to leave more space in
front of a moving subject than behind it.

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You can also apply the rule of thirds guidelines to the placement of the
horizon in your photos. Here the centre position of the boat and horizon
results in a static feeling.

Let's move the horizon to the upper third and the sailboat to the left.
Remember, these are the only guidelines. So if you don't like this subject
placement, try another.

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Like this. We've moved the horizon line to the lower third. In general,
place the horizon high or low in your scenes, but rarely in the middle.

Just as it's usually best to place horizons off centre, it's also best to place
verticals off centre. For instance, in the picture on the left, the subject is
cantered, but on the right, the photographer got a more effective
photograph by simply changing the viewpoint.

Lines
Lines also play an important role in composition. This sculpture has
some beautiful lines, but they're obscured by the busy background. Let's
simplify this picture by moving our camera viewpoint in close to the
base of the sculpture.

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Now we can look up and see the lines against a clear blue sky. The
picture on the right is much more dynamic because of the strong
diagonal lines.

Imagine this view without the diagonal rays of sunlight and you'll
probably agree: diagonal lines are dynamic!

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You can use diagonals as leading lines to provide a way into the picture.
It's a simple and easy path for the eye to follow to the main subject.

You can also use repetitive lines to draw viewers' attention to your
centre of interest.

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 One of the most common and graceful lines used in composition is called the S
curve.

Here's another S curve that forms a diagonal leading line. This picture is also
improved with a well-placed centre of interest, and the result is a photograph
that's easy to look at.

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 Balance

Here's what we're looking for. The flamingo has relaxed, and his neck
now forms a pleasing S curve against a better background. So, the S
curve is an attractive shape to look for when you compose a photograph.

You can use other simple geometric shapes to help your picture
composition. Can you see the triangle you get by connecting imaginary
lines between the three nuns? This triangle adds strong visual unity to
this picture.

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Notice how many triangles are formed by this couple and their
reflections. You can help yourself develop an artistic eye by studying
pictures to find the strength of their lines, geometric shapes, and balance.

Achieving good balance is another one of our guidelines for better

picture composition. Notice how the leaves, the window, and the couple
all seem to be in the right place. The camera viewpoint and subject
placement were all carefully selected to create this well-balanced
photograph.

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Good balance is simply the arrangement of shapes, colors, or areas of
light and dark that complement one another so that the photograph looks
well-balanced, not . . .

. . . Lopsided like this. Karen looks like she's going to fall right out of
the picture due to lack of visible support.

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 Now we've moved our camera viewpoint and have included the much-
needed wheel to support our subject. Karen is still off centre, but the
picture is balanced.

Imagine that these two couples are standing at either end of a pair of scales.
They are evenly balanced, so this is a classic example of symmetrical balance.

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Here's an example of non symmetrical balance. The large single head
balances the smaller child on the right. In general this type of balance is
more interesting to look at than symmetrical balance.

For example, this is a balanced photograph, but the subjects can be

separated into two vertical pictures-which tend to divide the viewer's
attention.

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There are usually several ways to arrange or balance your subjects. You
may choose the style on the left because you'd like to convey a feeling of
formality-or you may prefer the more relaxed informal pose. They're
both well balanced.

Framing
Our fifth guideline for improving photographic composition is framing.

No, this is not what we mean by framing, although the principle is the
same.

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What we mean is to frame the centre of interest with objects in the
foreground. This can give a picture the feeling of depth it needs to make
it more than just another snapshot.

Whether or not you use a frame for a picture will depend on each new
subject. What you choose as a frame for the scene will, of course, vary
as well.

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The Washington Monument on the left is composed in the centre
without a frame. The picture on the right has a stronger feeling of depth
and tells a more complete story because the photographer chose an
appropriate foreground to complement the Washington Monument.

The horses and their riders add considerable foreground interest to this
scene. The overhanging tree branches complete the frame and add depth
to the subject. When you use people for scale and foreground, make sure
they look into the picture area.

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Both of these interpretations of the Iwo Jima Monument effectively use
framing for added dimension and interest. No matter what subjects you
choose to photograph, you should avoid mergers.

Avoiding Mergers
The merger of this tree with Dave's head is so obvious; you probably
think no one could avoid seeing it before snapping the shutter.
Remember: we see things in three dimensions, so it's easier than you
might guess to focus our eyes on the principal subject only and not see
that background at all. Avoiding mergers is our sixth guideline for
better composition.

You can be sure the camera always sees mergers, so look for plain

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backgrounds before you pose your subject. In this case the correction
was simple because the two settings were only a few feet apart.

This is a fun picture, but when we cut people in half or trim their heads
or feet, we've committed a border merger. This is often caused by poor
alignment of the photographer's eye in the camera viewfinder. To avoid
border mergers, line your eye up squarely behind the viewfinder and
adjust the picture format to leave a little space around everyone.

Near mergers may not be quite as objectionable, but they can steal
attention from your centre of interest. Near mergers are objects or lines
that are just too close to the principal subject. In this case the ball and
umbrella tip are near mergers.

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Let's correct these mergers by using a low angle, and we'll use only one
prop for simplicity. Make sure the Frisbee is held far enough away from
Karen's face to avoid another near merger. Well, those are the six
guidelines for better photographic composition.

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