As many of my regular readers know I am very much into composition. You can read more about good composition in photography in my posts, ‘Good Composition in Photography‘, ‘Photography Movements- Formalism‘, and ‘10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Photos (Part1).’ These articles go over the general ideas behind good composition and the effective placement of elements within the photographic frame. There are many things that make a photograph good. Some of these elements include lighting, emotion, content, message, color, lack of color, form, texture, narrative, and composition. There are many other components. The way that I see it, every time that you have one of these components in a photograph it makes it better and more memorable. The more hits that you, the more likely the photograph will be remembered and seen as being good. A good example of this would be Dorthea Lange’s ‘Migrant Mother.’ It shows several of the listed attributes. Now a good photograph can have only one of these, but I am talking about a general principle that makes images more memorable. I will address these components more in future posts.
Since I have a large formalist component to my work I feel that composition should go high on your list of elements. I think that good composition skills can make something ordinary special. As photographers, part of our job is to see the world in different ways, just like any other artist. But a skilled photographer really does see the world and then is able to capture it in interesting and unique ways. Fine artists are like explorers. We go out and search the world for new and interesting items and then we bring back our photographic souvenirs to show other people, to hopefully broaden their view of the world. We are adding to the world aesthetic and informing, or just conducting visual alchemy. When I am photographing a wedding I am constantly looking for new and fresh image ideas.
Two compositional components that I tell my students to try when they are struggling with those general compositional things, like asymmetry and the rule of thirds, is to isolate and simplify.
1. isolate
Many times when you are creating an image a busy background or other distracting elements can easily creep into the frame. This can be especially true when you are shooting with a wide angle lens. It is hard to control things as you get more and more elements. The greater number of things in your frame can cause confusion in the viewer. They are not really sure where to look. So by isolating things, either by composition, lens selection, point of view, or a shallow depth of field, you make it easier for the viewer to see your main subject. They will like your image more because of this, even though they may not know why. Order, not chaos.
2. simplify
This goes hand-in-hand with the isolation idea. When you isolate and get rid of the clutter and the excess visual noise, you simplify your image. Most powerful photographs are simple in their elements, lighting and composition. This does not mean that they were easy. Simple means clean, ordered, and tidy. Minimalism is a great example of this. Objects or elements in the frame are pared down over and over until very few, sometimes only one, element remains. You can read more about minimalism in ‘Photography Movement – Minimalism.’
What is nice about this photographic compositional suggestions is that they also work well in other life situations. By isolating and simplifying things you will relieve stress, reduce clutter and waste, and allow your creativity to flourish.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Related posts:
