Composition Basics

A shot in focus is crisp and clear, with good definition of the object in the image. Digital cameras have automatic focus and manual focus settings. Automatic focus allows you to get quick action photographs. Manual focus allows you to determine what you want in focus: background, foreground, usually a person's eyes.

Digital cameras also allow you to fill the frame with the foreground (a bush for example), press the shutter half way (locking the focus), then frame the shot with the background (playground for example) and take the shot. You can make the bush in focus and the playground out of focus in the shot. Note that the reverse is also possible. Try filling the frame with the playground and pressing the shutter release half way, composing the shot to include the bush, and taking the picture. This would allow the background in focus and the bush out of focus in the shot. Keep the focus, stay the same distance from the subject as when you "locked" the focus on the camera.

Camera perspective: Photographs are two-dimensional in most cases. In order to make images more real and alive we try to give the illusion of depth or perspective. Avoid photographing people up against a wall, pull them away from the wall, have them stand with a room or a field behind. Try to light the subject or have them be the brightest object in the scene. If you're shooting a building, shoot it at an angle (from the corner) and have some branches be in the shot - close, yet out of focus.

The foreground is the part of the photo that is closest to the camera - the branches in front of a park scene for example. The background is the part of the photo that is farthest from the camera - the mountains behind a park scene in another example. Note, either can be in focus and thus the point or reason for the shot. Try to avoid shadows across faces by putting light and reflected light on the front of the subject matter.

The depth of field is the portion of the photograph that is in clear sharp focus in the image. How do you judge how much of the picture is sharp? In order to get lots of the photo in focus have lots of light and have the subject farther away. Alternatively, you may want to have a shallow depth of field (only the subjects eyes in focus, for example) then you would decrease the light and move the subject closer.

The image contrast: a lot of variety adds to your photograph's success. Note, the subject should be the lightest area of the screen because our eyes are drawn to light images. Also, the background behind them should be darker than the foreground. By placing the sun behind you will assist you in getting good lighting effects. 

The exposure is the amount of light entering the camera's lens.  An image looks its best with proper light and exposed correctly. Most cameras have automatic exposure settings. Try manually controlling the lights and exposure to get the best images. Fill the screen with the main object, frame carefully to get a tight shot of your subject matter. 

Composition shapes and colours

Raddii - this is a connection of lines meeting in the centre and it is also a expansion of lines leaving the centre of an image. Radii are usually found in nature. One example of the man-made Radii is the spokes of a wheel on a car. Eyes have two ways to go - either drawn into the picture area or led out of the picture area or image. Be careful how you use the Radii and try to have the eye led into the image.

A Cross shows an opposing force that will give the picture a feeling of cohesion. Now, the horizontal bar of the Cross will act as a stopper while the vertical pole can act as a leading line in the image. For example, the windows in a large skyscraper will form crosses and will keep your interest in the image. A Cross also has religious meaning and the subtle use of the Cross can give hidden meaning to an image.

The rectangle makes an attractive frame in the image. Use it to accentuate important subject matter. Often it's a frame within a frame in an image. For example, a tree with an overhanging branch at the right side of the picture area will form a rectangle and help frame the main subject in the imabe. You will make the centre of interest stand out and be noticed clearly in the image.

The use of colour can also help in Photo-Composition by drawing attention to the subjects and objects of interest. Note, the eye will always go to the brightest and lightest colours in an image. Watch the play of colours at all times and make sure they are doing what you desire.

Now, the Value of colours are Intensity, Brightness and Luminance Factor values. Colours are said to have Strong or Weak Values in photographic terms. Colours can be Warm or Cold, Advancing or Receding in value. Physics shows that the longer wavelengths from Red to Yellow are usually described as Strong, Warm, Advancing colours. The shorter wavelengths, the Greens and Blues are described as Weak, Cold and Receding.

Now, pastel colors are Quiet and Moody while Bright colors are Strong and Active in value. Certain colours react very strongly with each other to give Strong Contrasts and will become Discords rather than Harmonies in practice.

Now, hue is the scientific counterpart for the more popular word colour used in every day life. Now, red, Yellow, Green and Blue are the Primary hues, while Orange, Blue-Green, and Violet are Secondary hues in science.

Also in physics, complementary colours that go with each other will complement each other and are desirable in any painting or image. Place the Primary and Secondary colors on a Colour Wheel and you will find that Red will be opposite Green; Orange will be opposite Blue etc. Note that these opposites are Complementary Colours and can be used together to create the best Color Harmony in an image. A Red barn in a Green field of grass has harmony in the image. Blue and Orange sky of a sunset has colour harmony as well. Look for Complementary Colours in the visual image you plan to photograph and use them to create better images.

Photographic print sizes

Now, when we take photographs we pay attention to composition in the viewfinder, but did you know you should be paying attention to how the image will look in different print sizes that are available?

A lot of cameras today record photographs in roughly a 3:2 ratio. This means that the long side is 1.5 times as long as the short side is. That's the reason 4x6 has become a popular print size today. Now, when we look through a viewfinder it is this size that we see and generally compose our pictures with it. But the ratios are not the same for all standard print sizes and that means you image will be cropped to some extent.

An image at 5x7 or 8x10 size has ratios are different than the 4x6 format print. Now, prints at the 5x7 size have a 3.5:2.5 ratio print size. Note that the long size is 1.4 times as long as the short side is. Photographic prints at the 8x10 size have a 5:4 ratio print size. Here, the long side is 1.25 times as long as the short side is. It's often easier to think in terms of the length multiplication factors instead of the actual ratios of the sides.

If you are shooting images (such as portraits) where enlargements are likely, you need to leave some extra room on the long side of your image so that important items are not cropped out. When you plan for the squarest ratio (the 8x10 print), you should almost always be able to crop a nice image out of your original. Many standard prints are not exact matches to one of these three ratios, but few are below the 8x10 length multiplication factor of 1.25, so shooting for 8x10 format should allow room for nice cropping.

Here are the standard Print Sizes and their length multiplication factors:

• 4x6 - 1.5
• 5x7 - 1.4
• 8x10 - 1.25
• 10x13 - 1.3
• 11x14 - 1.27
• 10x20 - 2
• 16x20 - 1.25
• 20x24 - 1.2
• 20x30 - 1.5

Now, how you have your image processed and printed can be just as important, or more important, than the image. The print is your presentation of your image. Always make sure its a good presentation by understanding your different considerations.

Who will print your photographs is a huge decision to make. The biggest difference between amateur photographers and professional photographers was the labs they used. A professional's negatives and raw images looked little better than an amateur's because of the lab. Labs that offered individualised processing and cropping made the images match the photographer's vision of the image. Some photographers prefer to process their own images so they retain complete control over the creation. Remember, photography processing should not be taken lightly or decided upon quickly.