Photography Explained: Composition
How often have you taken a picture of what looked like a great subject only to be disappointed with how it turned out? And frustratingly, you're not really sure why? The first three tutorials in this series looked at improving the technical quality of our photos by learning how to control exposure, focus and white balance for better results than merely pointing and shooting. But none of that matters much if the content itself isn't any good. So what makes good content?
Absolutely anything in my opinion. You don't need a stunning landscape for a winning photo. The most mundane or unfavourable subjects can be made to look compelling but the key is to utilise good composition. In other words, how you arrange or frame the components of a scene will influence the overall impact of your image.
If you only have a split second to capture a moment you won't have much chance to think about that. But if you have a degree of control over the environment you're shooting in, an understanding of composition will help to convey what you want to show in your photo and encourage people to spend more time looking at it.
No doubt you've spent a few minutes trying to get friends to bunch up, or moving tall people to the back of a group shot. You're composing the scene to make the best possible picture, one where you can see everyone clearly. Even a small amount of time spent on the attention to detail will improve the photo immeasurably.
Take this idea a bit further and you might spend ten minutes or so clearing the background of distractions that might otherwise divert attention away from the main subject. Or half an hour looking at a building from different vantage points, determining the best perspective to shoot it from instead of snapping away as soon as you see it.
Or if you're obsessive (and that best photographers certainly are), several days lying sniper-style under a bush, waiting for the shy fox who visits your garden every day to be in just the right position, facing in just the right direction, with just the right pose for the perfect shot. This investment in time and patience will result in an image you're proud of.
Foreground and background
The essential shot to get on a trip to Berlin is the one of your travelling companions posing in front of the Brandenburg Gate. You can take pictures of your friends anywhere and finds tons of Brandenburg Gates on Google Images, but what makes this picture more interesting is the combination of your friends in the foreground and the famous landmark in the background.
Even if there's only one subject, good interplay between the foreground and background aspects will yield a more satisfying photo. For example, a picture of your dog might be better if he's sitting in front of his kennel to give more context, rather than a plain wall. On the other hand, a plain wall instead of a cluttered background would make him stand out better if it's portraiture you're going for.
The Reichstag is the seat of Germany's Parliament and one of Berlin's most photographed buildings. Here are a couple of my efforts.
In both pictures, the Reichstag is the main subject. In the first example it dominates the image but the eye wanders from there to the couple sitting in the foreground, before moving once again to the building in the background.
The second example shows the Reichstag from a completely different perspective. By using a large aperture for a shallow depth of field and focusing on the grass in the foreground, it becomes blurred and partially hidden in the background. The eye is still drawn to the building but this photo tells a different story. Rather than showcasing a historic landmark, reflecting the strength and stability of The Bundestag, it has a more abstract feel. Perhaps someone looking at it will be prompted to wonder what important decisions were being made inside at that moment.
The Magnificent Seven
What else makes a good photo? Let me introduce The Magnificent Seven.
- Light
- Shadows
- Contrast
- Texture
- Patterns
- Lines
- Symmetry
Take a look through some of your favourite photos. Chances are they'll be good examples of at least two or three from this list.
One evening I noticed the sun setting behind a row of tower blocks. I saw the potential for a great photo but it wasn't quite right. Rather than shooting there and then, I calculated when the sun would set exactly in the gap between the towers. Returning a few days later, I nailed the shot.
There's the obvious light and shadow contrast between the sky and the silhouetted buildings but there's also a texture contrast between the streaky patterns in the clouds and the smooth, featureless foreground. The rectangular tower blocks provide a repeating pattern with strong vertical lines.
Then there's the crux of the photo, the symmetry of the setting sun exactly in the middle of the frame. For me this all adds up to a good photograph. You don't have to agree of course but I think the main idea is enhanced even further by the interactions of the magnificent seven.
There are many books dedicated to the classic rules of composition. You won't want a ream of instructions revolving through your mind as you prepare to press the shutter, but you should be asking yourself: Are there any techniques I could use in this scene to make sure anyone who looks at my photo will see what I want them to see?
With that in mind, I'll introduce three of the most simple and effective composition guidelines.
- Rule Of Thirds
- Leading Lines
- Framing
Rule Of Thirds
Imagine two horizontal lines dividing an image into three equal sections: top, middle and bottom. If the content of a photo roughly aligns with these sections, convention says it'll be more pleasing to the eye. The same applies with vertical lines and it does work. If a toddler is running across your frame from left to right, the picture will be better if you can get him in the left third to give the effect that he's running into the shot rather than out of it.
It would be perfect if he was actually on the imaginary dividing line. The horizontal and vertical lines form four intersections and the second part of this rule says the eye will be more easily drawn to a key element if it lies on one of those imaginary points.
Leading Lines
Images are often full of lines which the eye subconsciously tends to follow. They don't need to be obvious like a fence or a road, it could be something more subtle like the curve of a person's arm or the arrangement of flowers in a garden.
These lines should guide a viewer's eye into the photo and towards its focal point. You definitely don't want to lead them out of the frame.
Framing
Let's say you're out walking the dog and you've come across a location that looks fairly chaotic. Perhaps an old building surrounded by trees and debris. Nevertheless you think it could be a promising backdrop for a shot of your dog.
If there's a natural frame within the scene, for example a doorway or an area between two trees, this would be a good spot in which to position him. In the mind of the viewer the framing will give him more prominence while other elements which are not so important, though still contributing to the shot in some way, are given less significance.
Composition Rules: Follow them or break them
Once you've read and understood why observing these rules will give you good results, the next paragraph will often tell you it's possible to break them and still get good results. It sounds like an unhelpful contradiction but if everyone always followed the same rules, all their photos would look pretty similar.
To emphasise something I said a bit earlier: Is whatever you want to portray in your photograph, be it a single subject, an event, a story or an emotion, enforced by any of these compositional techniques? If the answer's no, ignore them.
What I'm trying to say is you should only bear them in mind as guidelines and not rigidly stick to them as uncompromising rules. At least if you're aware of how they can change the perspective of your photos, you have the option of using them by not using them. Which is probably the most unhelpful contradiction of all.
