Composition rules

A lesson every beginner learns about photography, other than it can drain our bank accounts, is that for each desired result, there is a required action to create it. When we want a lighter image, we use exposure adjustments. When we want a sharper image, we adjust shutter speed etc. The technical side of photography is not easy.

A lesson learned in photography is that for composition, the equally important part of photography, exactly the opposite is true in a lot of situations. No rules can be followed or steps taken that can guarantee a well-designed image. Knowledge must come from within and for those who image design is not intuitive, composition guidelines can be indispensable information.

Guidelines are loosely referred to as rules; such as in the title of this information. In reality, they are merely guidelines, proven design principles used by artists and designers to assist in the organisation and creation of images. As visual artists, it is our right to compose our images any way we want and there are no hard and fast rules. The guidelines help, and it's critically important to the diversity of our portfolios that we make the distinction between using them as rules and using them as regulations.

Many composition guidelines exist to help us organise the elements of an image. These are suggestions for predictable results and should be used with care. When guidelines rule our work, our images themselves can become predictable.

There are times when guidelines are helpful, and there are times when they can be modified or ignored. When to ignore the guidelines requires some experience, but the results can be quite dramatic and cause a photograph to shine above the rest.

Many photographers wield the guidelines as a sculptor. Often blending their understanding of composition with personal interpretation, and sometimes technical experimentation, for results that often go beyond the realm of rules. Now, there are no formulas for achieving this ability; it must come from understanding and experience. Here are four examples that have broken major nature and wildlife composition rules. They are still compositionally sound images.
 
Never Centre the Subject: Many skilled photographers would dismiss a centered subject as amateurish. Often, centering a subject provides an average view of a scene and robs the image. Anyone can stare straight at a bird in a lake - what's special? If there are concentric circles around the centred bird, this will make the scene work. This shot was obvious: ignore the guidelines and rules. Focusing on the circles, the silky texture of the water, the bird, all contribute to the success of the image.

Good composition

Use the S Curve - it goes further than just a plain curved line. This is called the Line Of Beauty in photography. It's elastic, variable and combines charm and strength values. The S Curve has perfect grace. The S Curve is senn hundreds of times in drawings and paintings.

As an example, the double curve of a river makes an S curve. Also, a path, row of trees or bushes that curve one way and then the other way create the S curve shape. Have a look for this type of design and use it in your photos to add interest.

The Leading Line leads your eye in to the picture area easily like a road or fence, a shoreline or river, or a row of trees. Successful Leading Lines will lead your eye in to the picture and take it right to the main subject.

An unsuccessful Leading Line will take the eye into the picture but will lead the eye right out of the picture if there is no stopper to hold the eye in the picture frame; such as a tree, house or other large object. A centre of interest will act as a stopper and hold the eye in the image.

Good Leading Lines will start at the Lower Left area of the picture frame but not in the exact corner position. The eye likes to enter a picture frame at this point and the Leading Line will help it get in to the picture easily.

Implied Forms are a combination of Implied Lines and they help to hold a picture together at times. Now, the eye enjoys these interesting forms and will stay in the picture area to examine each one of them, if they are present in the image.

A circle is made up of a continuous curve and its circular movement keeps the eye in the picture. Many circles are found in nature and man-made objects and if you find them in an image before you, be sure to make good use of them in your image. An example - circles can be made up of children playing or a small pond or lake is usually in the form of a circle and of course many race tracks circular in shape.

A triangle or pyramid has a solid base and will show stability values. Triangles can show up in your viewfinder as three points in the scene, such as two trees on the grounds pointing to a cloud in the skyline. A fence in combination with a stream and a farm house can form the triangular composition in the image.

Holiday photography

We all like to bring home pictures to remember from our holidays. Turn so-so snapshots to fabulous photos, by taking a moment to review these tips and advice.

Preparations before you leave home - make sure you're familiar with how your camera works and take the manual - if you haven't read the manual, do so. Your camera may have capabilities you didn't know about, or you may find answers to questions that have been bothering you for some time. Decide if you have enough gear to warrant a camera bag, and try to find one that doesn't scream "Steal me now". Consider a backpack-like style because they're easy to carry around all day, leave your hands free, and appear relatively inconspicuous to the thief.

As you pack for your trip, bring your manual, extra camera batteries or a battery charger, and digital storage cards or film for your camera equipment. Now, if you plan on taking lots of digital photos and you have a laptop, it may be a wise idea to bring it so you can download your images and reuse your cards as needed.

With air travel, pack your camera in a carry-on bag, especially if you're fortunate enough to own sophisticated cameras. Note that even when locked, checked luggage can be broken into, and if your equipment is stolen, most airlines will not reimburse you at all. Do not put your camera in a jacket pocket, too, since it's easy to leave a jacket on the plane or in the airport lounge. As you exit the plane, double-check to make sure you have all your equipment.

Make sure you fully understand your camera's settings. Your camera's automatic settings control the f-stop and shutter speed. A camera's f-stop determines how blurry the background is. Now, the smaller the number (like 5.6), the more the background blurs out. And the larger the number (like 16), the sharper everything in the picture will be. Note that neither one is inherently better than the other; it all depends on what you're photographing and what effect you want to achieve.

The shutter speed refers to how quickly the camera's shutter opens and closes in real time. Now, the higher the shutter speed, the faster it takes the shot. In order to freeze action, you need to shoot at a minimum of 125th. Below a 60th, you need a tripod to keep the image sharp because your hand will move enough to affect the image.

Note that point-and-shoot cameras may not allow you to manually adjust both settings. But understanding your camera's automatic settings can help you control how your photos end up. As an example, portrait settings are designed to keep the main subject sharp and blur the background, while landscape settings keep everything in sharp focus. Try shooting a variety of subjects on each of your camera's settings to see what they do and what you like best.

Note that some cameras have semi-automatic settings which allow you to set either the f-stop or the shutter speed yourself, while the camera sets the other adjustment. Semi-auto settings are often ideal: you still have a good amount of control over how your image looks, but you don't have to worry about meter-reading or quickly changing lighting.