Hey Beanie,
Composition
The nature of something’s ingredients or constituents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up.
A work of music, literature or art.
Composing an image by arranging elements within it in a way that suits the core idea or goal of you work best [Photography]
Simply put, composition is a key aspect of a good work of art. Aspiring artists tend to give composition a lot of attention. Why? A good composition is one that has just the right amount of detail; too few elements is bad as it robs the art of necessary detail that makes correct interpretation possible. In essence, a bad composition would ruin the balance of the image. Well then, how can I ensure that my work has a good composition? Fortunately, there are a few guidelines in the niche of photography, which can help you attain a great composition!
Of the several most commonly used photography composition guidelines, the ones that really stand out to me are the following:-
Rule of Thirds – To add balance and interest to your photos, try to imagine that your image is divided into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines. The rule of thirds dictates that you should position your subject (the most important element in your scene) along these lines or where these points intersect.
Leading Lines – When observing a photograph, the human eye is naturally drawn along lines. Thus, by carefully thinking about how your place lines in your composition, you can pull your audience into the picture, or towards your subject; or better yet, take them on a journey “through” the scene.
Framing – We are surrounded by objects that make perfect natural frames. In fact, the picture above is a great example of the use of framing. By placing the trees on the edge of my composition, I was able to isolate the beautiful temple from the rest of the outside world. I was able to draw your focus naturally to the temple.
But does all this mean that my photos are constrained by these ‘rules’? It may sound clichéd, but the only rule in photography is that there are no rules.
Personally, I have taken these guidelines on composition to heart and in fact started composing my own life with them! How?! Well, since the only rule in photography is that there are no rules, by extension there are no rules that can hold me back in my life. Artists use intersecting, leading lines and frames to control their image; to bring balance and take their audience on a journey. That’s the power that we have with our own lives. We need to intersect our experiences with people every day, frame how we want to live and who we want to be on our own accord, and most importantly enjoy journeying through this crazy piece of art that we call life.
That went real personal, real fast! But hey, that’s how I composed it. {PUN}
For more photography composition rules, you should definitely check out “Top Photography Composition Rules” on the Photography Mad webpage (http://bit.ly/1ccwMne). There is also a great article on what composition in photography is all about on the Photography Life Webpage (http://bit.ly/1BUvt6y). I’m sure that this will help you out on your photography journey! So what does composition mean to you, Beanie?
Beans.
