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Composition

At any newspaper, a lot more photographs get taken each day than the ones that make it into the paper.

Often, a more striking photograph will be chosen above one that might have accompanied a more newsworthy story. Or, a story that would otherwise not have been printed may make it into the newspaper on the strength of the accompanying photograph.

At the very least, a really good photograph cannot be ignored and will probably be published with a caption and by-line only. A really good photograph will always be well composed.

While an eye for composition is something that comes naturally to some people, you can also train yourself by being aware of the elements that make for good composition. Once you know these elements or "rules" and start using them, you will notice after a while that you implement the principles without thinking about it much.

These "rules" are:

• Strong lines that "lead" the eye from one edge of the image to the other.
• A strong focus point
• Simplicity

The rule of thirds is a good starting point. This rule suggests that the centre of attention should be at any point of intersection if you divide an image into thirds. A, B, C or D are such points on the left below.

You can also have the centre point between A, B, C and D as on the right.

 

However, these are not hard and fast "rules", but rather guidelines that you can use. There are many, many other elements in a scene that can contribute to a strong composition, like lines, shapes (circular, triangular, square, oblong, and even juxtaposed colours, shades of colours, blank spaces, etc.). But you have to be able to notice them in order to use them in your composition.

In simple terms, composition is something that gives shape or tension to a picture, and what leads the eye of the viewer around the photograph without him necessarily realising exactly what the elements are that give composition to the photograph.

A badly composed picture will be unpleasant to look at.

Strong lines, or even subtle lines, that lead the eye can run vertically or diagonally (flower left), or horizontally (sheep below) across the image or diagonal lines intersecting each other (man fishing with dog in foreground).

A subject placed dead centre of the photograph can also be a strong composition (as the giraffe below).

You can also "frame" your photograph as in the photographs below of the people framed between the orange doors or the ship framed by the tube.

One way of accentuating the centre of interest and for keeping a photograph simple, is to eliminate a non-descriptive background or foreground by filling your entire image with the subject, or by rendering the background or foreground (or both) out of focus (girl behind flowers). You will find out how to manipulate focus in the chapter on your camera's exposure controls.

The best vantage point for a good composition is not always in a standing position. Try going down on your knees or getting up on a table or chair.

A cluttered background can be very distracting to what you actually want to portray. Try to render it out of focus or zoom in closer on the subject, unless the background forms an integral part of the composition or describes the subject better.

Watch out for objects sticking out behind your subject. For instance, if you take a portrait of someone and there is a tower, pole or tree behind the person, it could look as if it is "growing" out of the person’s head. Move the subject or move around the subject to get a better vantage point. Even though you can see the subject in three-dimensional view, try to visualise the final two-dimensional image with a pole sticking out of the person’s head.

TIP:
Study the paintings of the old masters to see how they arranged (composed) the objects in the paintings.

Exercise:

Take still life photographs of any subject, like a flower arrangement, landscapes or any items that you can arrange together. Afterwards, see if they apply to the set of rules above, or if you can find any other strong or subtle lines or shapes that give form to you photograph or that unifies (holds together) the objects in the photographs.

© Heléne Cilliers