composition: the language of photography - jordahl,...

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Photo 72 Foothill College Kate Jordahl Composition: The Language of Photography Guides to effective Composition It has been said many times that rules are made to be broken. Perhaps that is why evaluating a photograph by the “rules” of composition is so difficult. Nevertheless, in the beginning of your compositional explorations, it is useful to follow some basic guidelines. These guidelines emphasize the importance of creating images that have a "visual impact” on the viewer. Being aware of these guides will help you strengthen your photographic skills and make your photographs have more impact. 1. Create a sense of depth, enabling the viewer to visually travel through your image. Do this by including a foreground, middle ground and background in your composition. 2. Use contrast and tonal values to give a "sense of light" and drama in order to emphasize the important subject(s). This will convey your message, and make your image more visually interesting. 3. Balance strong compositional elements in the frame; be aware of the entire area within the viewfinder. The edges of the viewfinder are the first four elements in every picture. Be aware of these lines and use them to strengthen your composition. 4. Focus your viewer's eye on the main subject by framing it with the secondary subject matter and placing it in a power point of the frame. Photography is a means of expression with endless interpretations. Axel Bruck, author of “Practical Composition in Photography” calls photography an "optical language." Composition, Bruck maintains, is the grammar of this language; the very structure by which significant statements can be made in the language of photography. * Rule of Thirds or Golden Mean One of the first guides to dynamic photographs is the rule of thirds. When the frame is divided into thirds vertically and horizontally, a more dynamic composition is created. The power points in a photograph are the areas in which the horizontal and vertical grids intersect when the frame is divided in such a manner. Subject(s) placed on these power points will have great visual impact. 1

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Page 1: Composition: The Language of Photography - Jordahl, …jordahlphoto.com/photo72/handouts/CompositionPHOT72.pdf · Photo 72 Foothill College Kate Jordahl . Composition: The Language

Photo 72 Foothill College Kate Jordahl Composition: The Language of Photography

Guides to effective Composition It has been said many times that rules are made to be broken. Perhaps that is why evaluating a

photograph by the “rules” of composition is so difficult. Nevertheless, in the beginning of your compositional explorations, it is useful to follow some basic guidelines. These guidelinesemphasize the importance of creating images that have a "visual impact” on the viewer. Being aware of these guides will help you strengthen your photographic skills and make your photographs have more impact.

1. Create a sense of depth, enabling the viewer to visually travel through your image. Do this byincluding a foreground, middle ground and background in your composition. 2. Use contrast and tonal values to give a "sense of light" and drama in order to emphasize theimportant subject(s). This will convey your message, and make your image more visually interesting. 3. Balance strong compositional elements in the frame; be aware of the entire area within theviewfinder. The edges of the viewfinder are the first four elements in every picture. Be aware ofthese lines and use them to strengthen your composition. 4. Focus your viewer's eye on the main subject by framing it with the secondary subject matterand placing it in a power point of the frame.

Photography is a means of expression with endless interpretations. Axel Bruck, author of “Practical Composition in Photography” calls photography an "optical language." Composition, Bruck maintains, is the grammar of this language; the very structure by which significant statements can be made in the language of photography. *Rule of Thirds or Golden Mean

One of the first guides to dynamic photographs is the rule of thirds. When the frame is divided into thirds vertically and horizontally, a more dynamic composition is created. The power points in a photograph are the areas in which the horizontal and vertical grids intersect when the frame is divided in such a manner. Subject(s) placed on these power points will have great visual impact.

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Page 2: Composition: The Language of Photography - Jordahl, …jordahlphoto.com/photo72/handouts/CompositionPHOT72.pdf · Photo 72 Foothill College Kate Jordahl . Composition: The Language

Photo 72 Foothill College Kate Jordahl Leading Lines

Different objects in the frame can be used to "lead" the viewer into your space and give asense of space. Fences, trails, sidewalks are all good examples of objects that can serve to lead your viewer's eyes through the frame.

Kate Jordahl, Tuolumne Grove, Yosemite (Leading lines and rules of thirds)

Foreground, middle ground, background This is one of the most dependable and exciting ways to create depth in your images. The

illusion of depth will give your viewer a sense of the space as it really was in the world. To photograph foreground, middle ground, and background start by finding objects in each of theseareas, and photographing them in dynamic relationship. Your pictures will be more visualinteresting and exciting.

Kate Jordahl, Angkor Wat, View, Cambodia (Foreground, Middleground, Background and framing)

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Page 3: Composition: The Language of Photography - Jordahl, …jordahlphoto.com/photo72/handouts/CompositionPHOT72.pdf · Photo 72 Foothill College Kate Jordahl . Composition: The Language

Photo 72 Foothill College Kate Jordahl Contrast

Use contrast and tonal values to give a "sense of light" and drama in order to emphasize theimportant subject. This will convey your message, and make your image more visually interesting. Keep in mind the usefulness of both value and color contrast. Color contrast comesfrom the relationship between colors like yellow and blue or red and green. Value contrast comesfrom light/dark difference. Each will have a different effect on your pictures. Edge tension

Be aware of the edges of your frame. The use of the edge of the image area to create a sensethat the world goes on beyond the picture can be very effective. Unwanted items peeking in to thecorners can wreak an otherwise powerful composition and the energy between your object and theimages edge is also a powerful compositional tool. Repeating shapes and lines

Any shapes or lines that repeat in the frame will create a rhythm in your pictures. It will also keep your viewer interested. Look for multiples of shapes in your subject and use them to energize and shape your photographs.

Kate Jordahl, Entry, Amphitheatre, Arles, France (Contrast, edge tension and repeating shapes) andColumns and Candles, Reims Cathedral, France (repeating shapes and framing)

Framing Framing is when an object in the image is used to create an eye-leading border around the

primary visual information. Objects that are useful for framing include branches of trees, doorways, and archways. Framing is a very good way to keep your viewer’s attention inside thephotograph and on your subject.

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Page 4: Composition: The Language of Photography - Jordahl, …jordahlphoto.com/photo72/handouts/CompositionPHOT72.pdf · Photo 72 Foothill College Kate Jordahl . Composition: The Language

Photo 72 Foothill College Kate Jordahl Other tools of composition Centered vs. “off-center”

Subject matter that is centered in the frame is perceived to be stable, yet objects that arecentered can actually create a tension because all edges of the frame compete equally for a visualrelationship with the subject, When a subject is off-center it forces the entire composition be in relationship to the main subject. Movement starts to occur within the frame. This would be adynamic or kinetic composition and these are often appealing to us. They tend to be active and exciting. Dynamic vs. Static

The next elements in composition are about direction of movement. Diagonals and curvescreate movement in an image. Verticals and horizontals are more stationary. By assessing thefeeling you want to convey, you could choose to emphasize one or the other of these elements in your pictures. Balance vs. Imbalance

Do not assume that balance means centered! Balance is created by visual weight in the frame. A subject can be at side of the frame yet be “balanced” by another object on the other side. Imbalance can also be used to throw your viewer off and create a feeling of tension. When itworks, balance or imbalance can be powerful compositional tools.

When does a composition “work?” This is a complex question. Perhaps the best description is to say that a composition works

when the feeling that the photographer wanted to convey is in alignment with the viewers’ response to the final image. This is not a foolproof test. But, if we are making photographs in order to communicate, one of our primary measurements can be our success in communicating with our audience. What other compositional guides do you know? Consider these guidescarefully. Do they help or hinder your pictures? Can you find exceptions to these guidelines thatwork? Question, try, explore and speak the language of photography, composition.

Compositional Terminology Consider the following terminology to help in your growth in seeing composition. Use these

words to talk about your photographs and the photographs you study. Integrating the vocabulary of compositions can help us grow in our use of effective composition when we are photographing. Abstract Active

Flat spaceFlow

Texture Color contrast

RhythmScale

AggressiveAsymmetryBalance Centered

FramingHarmonyHarsh lightHorizontal movement

Lines Mass Movement Off-centered

Soft lightSymmetryTriangular shapesTruncated

Circular shapesValue contrast Curves Deep spaceDiagonalsDistortion

Imbalance ImposingLeading linesLine ShapeValue

Passive Pattern PerspectiveProportionRepeating shapesRepetition

UnityVertical movement Visual movement Weight

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*Bruck, Axel. Practical Composition in Photography. New York: Focal Press 1981.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240510607?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A2EXIO4BLL6AEJ