elements of composition

The number 3 crops up quite often in the world of photography. Here are just a few examples of things that happen in three’s.

When we talk about the rules of composition, the Rule of Thirds or the Golden Ratio are probably the first that come to mind to most of us. But there is something about centeredness and symmetry, too. Could “The Middle Line” be the secret rule of composition in visual arts? In this video from Light Club, you’ll see plenty of powerful photos and movie frames revolving around a fictional or a physical middle line. And when you see how many famous works have it, you’ll see that there’s something about it, indeed.

Good composition is one of the key elements of what we’d call a good photo. Sometimes, it’s what turns a decent photo into a great photo. In this video, Peter McKinnon shares three composition tips that will help you improve your photos instantly. Other than newbies, I believe all those who feel they need to work on composition will find it useful

We can learn a lot about photography by observing and analyzing the works of the masters. Henri Cartier-Bresson is one of my favorite photographers of all times, the master of the decisive moment.  Although he thought of photography as “immediate reaction,” he managed to combine prompt reaction with great composition.

In his two-part video series, photographer Tavis Leaf Glover was focused particularly on composition in Cartier-Bresson’s photos. He decomposes some of his images to show how masterfully used the principles of dynamic symmetry and geometry. If you want to learn from the master, these two videos are certainly something to watch.

Focal point is a term that photographers and photography blogs throw around continually. “Create a focal point,” it’s said, “it should be the first and last place the eye goes in your image.” That’s true, of course, but like most important things it’s easier said than done. A strong focal point is better thought of as the punctuation at the end of a carefully composed sentence. You need to know not only what makes the best single focal point, but also how to compose the sentence that precedes it.

First, consider what makes the best focal point; the best punctuation. There are a few things that your eye will shoot to first because of the way your brain processes visual information: points of high contrast, high sharpness, faces, human and animal forms, forward color tones (usually warm tones, like yellow) and recognizable objects that are large in frame (which reads as close). For effective punctuation of your visual sentence, you need an object or entity that creates interest and is comprised of at least one characteristic from this list.