Mentally you divide up your mental image of the photograph into a grid of nine squares, and then divide the finished product into a third and two thirds. This is an effective way to draw the eye into a photograph, and give an appearance of depth. Mastering Your Photography
There are many elements to be mastered in the art of photography, but one of the elements that amateur photographers find difficult to master, is the art of composition. Composition is how best to compose your subject in the frame, of the completed image. More importantly, it often means what to omit rather than what to include. Often it is the more stark and simplistic composition, which catches the eye. Whilst a picture can paint a thousand words some photographs may as well not have bothered!
Mastering the art of composition often means where to put the focal points, the most important element in your picture. The difference between an indifferent and a great image is usually the strength of its emotional or visual impact.
One of the first rules a photographer learns is the “rule of thirds”, this means essentially that the heart of the photograph does not go in the centre.
Mentally you divide up your mental image of the photograph into a grid of nine squares, and then divide the finished product into a third and two thirds. This is an effective way to draw the eye into a photograph, and give an appearance of depth.
The vantage point from which you take your image also has an impact upon the composition. If you are taking photographs of landscapes you cannot rearrange it as you can people. You cannot get it to pose at another angle, or can you. You can try taking the photograph from a higher vantage point. It also helps to look through the viewfinder at both the landscape and portrait view. Is there something that is on the edge of the photograph that would help to be included, or something, which very definitely should be left out? You can nearly always improve a photograph by altering the angle at which you shoot it. Most things look more interesting if there is a slight diagonal angle.
The question of angle is very important in mastering composition. You can completely change the background by adjusting your height and angle. Try looking at some things whilst lying down. Try this especially with sports and action shots; they look completely different from close to the ground.
An element of composition is proportion, and this adjusts dramatically with the height at which you take the shot, particularly if you are using a wide angled lens, often the proportion is better closer to the ground.
The delicate matter of composition is not helped by the fact that perception, can mean both how you visually perceive the finished image to be and also its depth and distance. From an artistic point of view, perspective means seeing a flat object as having three dimensions, which means not only height and width but also depth. To show depth on a photograph it is necessary to balance the effect of light against shadows. When a photograph is described as being “flat” it means one that does not have adequate contrast, and shows only height and width.
Distance on the other hand is changed by the use of lenses. A wide angled lens will cause certain aspects of your photograph to appear bigger. This can be altered by the height at which the photographer is standing. As a photographer you are in control, and therefore it is often a temptation to move your subjects, but it is often a better technique to manoeuvre yourself, and the camera. Using a telephoto lens will draw the subject closer to you and will also reduce depth. Adding additional objects in either the foreground or background will also effect the perception of depth.
The mental perception of the photographer is a different thing, it is making a statement of what he or she thinks is important. Photographic creativity is the ability to see things in the mind’s eye in a different way. This creativity is perhaps nothing more than an ability to understand how people perceive visual images. Many beginners see this as a matter of luck, sometimes it is, but it is an issue you can teach yourself by training yourself to look at subjects differently.
How can you improve the technique of seeing a vision in your minds eye and bringing together as the focal point of the actual image? How you position elements of your photograph effect it’s balance. You have to think whether you want it to be appearing balanced, or slightly out of perspective, what exactly do you want to draw the eye to. Your eyes show depth and perception that a camera does not see. To get a better idea of what a camera sees cover up one eye, and then look at your subject. I recently came across this site which I can highly recommend for self improvement, great tips and free courses - click here to go there.
The simple act of creating a frame for your photograph means concentrating on the most important elements. Concentrating on a focal point centralises the subject. If you ask five people who have seen the same event to verbalise what they have seen, you may have difficulty believing that they have seen the same thing. This is because their vantage points were visually different; the art of framing a photograph into what is essential helps to concentrate it.
The frame can be a wall or a branch, an arch, or a column, natural frames in the foreground of a picture create depth. Adjust your height and angle and see how the frame changes the whole composition of a picture.
Whilst you are taking a photograph ask yourself what you want to visually achieve. Only by practising what is possible will you know what will work. However it is always worth the effort of trying something, because you must keep your mind open to new ideas. Here are 3 popular sites worth considering:-Photography Mastery, Digital Photography Success and The School of Photography (highly recommended)