Best materials (books etc) on Composition please.

chouglez

chouglez

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Can anyone suggest best materials on Compositions please? Thanks.
 
This has been suggested before, I have just bought one but not had a read as yet


The Photographers Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photographs: Composition... by Michael Freeman
 
Don't read about it... DO IT.

It comes in equal measures of.......Looking at others work.....Experience...and...Plenty of Practice.

BTW.....It takes a lot to beat the 'Rule of Thirds'....and one of my own....Things, any/all things go from LEFT to RIGHT with no exception.

Just my 2p's worth.
 
does anyone has a copy of it they wish to sell?
 
Thanks Graham. Why did I not think of that :)
 
Dave in Wales said:
Don't read about it... DO IT.

It comes in equal measures of.......Looking at others work.....Experience...and...Plenty of Practice.

BTW.....It takes a lot to beat the 'Rule of Thirds'....and one of my own....Things, any/all things go from LEFT to RIGHT with no exception.

Just my 2p's worth.
Click to expand...

I'm going to apologise in advance for coming across as grumpy. Really, it's just passion; I'm not actually cross.

'Composition can't be taught' is one of those clichés should be banished. Everything takes experience and practice but there's some kind of mythology around composition which rarely gets challenged. There's often an assumption that either you have an eye for composition or you don't. Then if you're the latter, if you keep blindly slugging away for long enough then you might eventually get the hang of it if you're lucky.

The rule of thirds is a crude starting point, nothing more, nothing less. To ignore centuries of painting tradition & compositional development and stick everything on a thirds line is to hamstring yourself; to encourage others to do the same is irresponsible. Composition does take practice but if you don't know what you're practising how can you tell whether you're getting any better?

I like this as a starting point. Someone here some time ago pointed me in the direction of http://www.ipoxstudios.com/canon-of-design/ but most of the good stuff there is now behind a rather expensive paywall. This text on dynamic symmetry is one of the key texts, but it's heavy going.

The Michael Freeman book is highly recommended, too. The few other composition books aimed at photographers that I've seen were rather less useful.
 
Thanks a ton Juggler for juggling this so well. Not a trace of you sounding grumpy at all. I promise.
 
Books or on-line articles on composition will help you understand why pictures 'work'. Rather than trying to fit the 'rules' into your photos as you take them, try to see how they do or don't fit photos you've taken. Trying to take photos to fit the rules can make for boring, formulaic, pictures.

This is quite a good starting point - http://compositionstudy.com/

Edit - the golden rule is, if it looks right, it is right.:D
 
I think that the rule of thirds is a logical and useful starting point for those who are starting out. Don't see much use in downgrading it. Do I break the rule,,, all the time. But understanding composition allows you to be more creative and do things that are not considered completely correct. What I'm trying to say is that you can only successfully break the rules when you understand them.
 
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