Composition – The Art of Seeing

Composition – The Art of Seeing

A camera, no matter how automatic, is a lifeless piece of equipment until a person uses it. It then becomes a uniquely responsive tool, an expression of the photographers eye and creative mind.

Anyone can take amazingly beautiful photographs by simply taking a mental “walk” around a photo opportunity to view it from multiple perspectives. This will always result in important insights and fresh ideas.

Three of the most important factors as you begin to understand the ‘Art of Seeing’, are:

• Light
• Focus
• Composition

Understanding and using these to your advantage to take better photos helps to develop your ‘Art of Seeing’.

Divide the frame into thirds vertical & horizontal, using the lines or intersections for main subject

Composition

Composition is the placement of subjects within the photo. The camera is going to see Less than our eyes, so the trick is to decide what to point the camera at. Perhaps the most important guide for composition is called the Rule of Thirds.

The lines of intersection are ideal placement points for the dominant element in our photo… the part of the photo that attracts our attention.

We call that the centre of interest or subject. Each photo should have such a point… if there is nothing that attracts your attention then the photo does not communicate as well.

Subject placement can also be placed along one of the thirds to be effective. The horizon of a landscape photo should be placed on or near the thirds line and never in the centre unless you are aiming for a symmetrical, balanced effect.

You should also look for ways to draw attention to the centre of interest and make it stand out from the background. If the centre of interest has strong tones and colours and the background is subdued, the centre of interest will stand out, and vice versa. If the centre of interest is light and the background is dark and of the same tone and colour.

Lines are an important way of focusing attention onto the centre of interest. A dominant line such as a road or a shadow can be used to draw your eye to a specific subject. Lines such as roads are always, shadows however require you to be there at the right time or to choose a different angle to shoot from.

The background can make or break your picture. It can add to the composition and help set the mood of a picture, although it can be very distracting if you have a messy cluttered background. Look at your LCD screen or through your viewfinder and take a mental walk around what the camera is seeing. Look for poles coming out of your subject’s head, garbage bins or gaudy signs that may detract from your subject. A plain background, such as a blue sky or foliage are always great background. Remeber to always look further than your subject, because your camera will.

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