Composition

D

dgendy

Suspended / Banned
Messages
2
Edit My Images
Yes
I am relatively new to photography and am having problems with composition at the moment. I have read about the rule of thirds and other composition techniques but find it hard to put into practice, I just stick to large aperture close up photography. Did anyone have this problem and if so how did they proceed? Any advice will be helpful.

I also am starting to enjoy putting photos on stock websites, even if I make no money its a nice feeling one a photo sells. Is there anywhere to begin when wanting to make more commercial use photos?
 
dgendy said:
I am relatively new to photography and am having problems with composition at the moment. I have read about the rule of thirds and other composition techniques but find it hard to put into practice, I just stick to large aperture close up photography. Did anyone have this problem and if so how did they proceed? Any advice will be helpful.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have been thru this too (not that I am a pro now either)! While reading up on the net, I believe I have acquired all the required knowledge, but out there in the field, things fly out the window and it is mostly bang-bang...

To learn discipline, try to take up specific projects that you define yourself. Look for inspiration from photos you like and attempt to recreate it. Along with composition, experiment a lot with lighting too. Have a guinea pig (excuse me) as a model, place him/her under different lighting conditions and different light angles. Try out flash and no-flash. Try out different composition techniques. Do the same with fixed architecture / objects. Review the pictures against your inspiration samples. Slowly, but surely, you will start getting better control over your composition (and lighting too).

Once you like your pictures, submit them to online critiques. (I presume you will develop a thick hide because you will need it if you want o get honest f/b and improve!)

Hope this helps
 
For me the key is STOP and THINK before every time you press the shutter release.

Think what made you stop and take the photo and then think if what you see through the viewfinder communicates this.

One of the problems with digital photography is that it is free to shoot which means people just press the button thinking that the more they take the better chance they have of getting a good shot but all they end up with is hundreds of crap images.

Try getting hold of a film camera, it's amazing how having only 36 shots you will have to pay to see to use concentrates your mind.

The Michael Freeman book mentioned is very nice by the way, well worth buying.
 
Last edited:
TinaC said:
Try getting hold of a copy of this Michael Freeman, The photographers Eye. Excellent :thumbs:
Click to expand...

+1

Although a lot of this stuff was already familiar to me as I studied fine art, I'd still recommend it to anyone getting their feet wet in photography, as it gives you a lot to think about without totally overwhelming you. He has a very clear way of describing things.

And at the end of the day, as it is with any creative endeavours, the more you practice, the easier it gets. Eventually composing your shots will just become instinctive.
 
I had similar issues too. I found myself cropping pictures all the time to make them more appealing. Over time I got the hang of doing the cropping through the view finder. Look over the whole frame, not just the subject.

Exercises I have used to assist me in seeing the picture through the view finder instead of the computer screen:

Choose an object or area of your house (well anywhere you like really) whatever you choose, try to take 30 pictures of the same thing, making sure every shot is different. Lighting, apertures, composition, any technique you want. Make a note about each shot, camera settings, tripod, flash and why you took that particular shot. When you look at these on your computer, you will instantly see which ones you like best and you will have a note of which settings provided you with that shot. It's a great learning technique.

Secondly, go out and look for shapes which resemble letters of the alphabet. For example, the letter 'N' can be made from a wooden gate if you turn your camera 90 degrees. Go through the alphabet in order, not missing any letters. Sounds like an odd exercise but it really gets you looking for a shot.

And keep practicing.
 
Nawty said:
One of the problems with digital photography is that it is free to shoot which means people just press the button thinking that the more they take the better chance they have of getting a good shot but all they end up with is hundreds of crap images.
Click to expand...

Brilliant bit of advice that. :thumbs:
 
I sometimes wonder though with photography and composition, is it something that anyone given time can pick up? Or is it more artistic? i.e. anyone could pick up a paintbrush and practice for years and never produce a Turner or Constable or anything decent even.
Are there things in life that you will be good at and things you wont and you have to accept that or is possible to become good at something even if you're not a "natural"?
 
Last edited:
As with most things in life, it's 95% perseverance, 5% talent. Anyone can achieve 95% but that little extra that distinguishes those that are a level above, the best do both.
 
DorsetDude said:
I sometimes wonder though with photography and composition, is it something that anyone given time can pick up? Or is it more artistic? i.e. anyone could pick up a paintbrush and practice for years and never produce a Turner or Constable or anything decent even.
Are there things in life that you will be good at and things you wont and you have to accept that or is possible to become good at something even if you're not a "natural"?
Click to expand...

I think the problem is that alot of the time photography tends to be more instinctual than most art. An amature painter might never come near to Turner but he'll generally have more thinking time to work out his composition.

Personally I'd say that while thinking about what you shoot is obvious important don't be afraid to shoot a hell of alot aswell. Reading about composition is one thing but actually seeing the results, what works and what doesnt is also a great learning tool.
 
Nawty said:
One of the problems with digital photography is that it is free to shoot which means people just press the button thinking that the more they take the better chance they have of getting a good shot but all they end up with is hundreds of crap images.
Click to expand...

I remember one film wedding photographer was joking something like: Digital photography is just great, you can shoot, watch and immediately... delete. For advanced digital photographers there is even button "delete all" without watching it :)
 
DorsetDude said:
I sometimes wonder though with photography and composition, is it something that anyone given time can pick up? Or is it more artistic? i.e. anyone could pick up a paintbrush and practice for years and never produce a Turner or Constable or anything decent even.
Are there things in life that you will be good at and things you wont and you have to accept that or is possible to become good at something even if you're not a "natural"?
Click to expand...

Its a skill that can be learned. All the great painters learned it at one time or another, and then learned when to break the rules. Creativity does not have to be 'born', it can be 'acquired'. Look at others work, analyse what you like or don't like, take crit on your own efforts. While its true you can click away with digital without any 'cost', it also frees you learn to 'see' through the viewfinder without worrying over much about the technicalities. Annabel Williams is a believer in that regard. Once you 'see' the pictures, its easier to learn the technical bits. Just knowing the technical bits won't make you a good photographer. IMHO

If your camera has a 'grid' you can overlay on the LCD that can help you think about composition, rule of thirds etc. but don't get bogged down by it. Just try to remember that horizons are better off not central, that lead-in lines are a useful tool, that you don't always have to be standing up to take your shot.
 
Last edited:
Forbiddenbiker said:
Yes I agree, start filling the database if the key. Try studying the flowing frames of beautifully shot films. ..or even adverts. It’s a bit like speed reading, but if you study the cameraman’s moving compositions you’ll see how each paned frame is constructed.
Click to expand...

I believe I was watching The Shining for the umpteenth time when composition suddenly dawned on me so I can vouch for this method!
 
Nawty said:
As with most things in life, it's 95% perseverance, 5% talent. Anyone can achieve 95% but that little extra that distinguishes those that are a level above, the best do both.
Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree. I don't think there's such a thing as talent; everything we know, we know because we learned it. Hence, anything can be learned if enough effort is put into it.

And this is coming from someone who was always told they were a naturally gifted artist. I believed that crap when I was a kid, and then I grew up and realised it made no sense whatsoever. No-one is born with an ability to do something straight off the bat. The word talent is something I use to describe the mastery of a skill through perseverance.
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
I believe I was watching The Shining for the umpteenth time when composition suddenly dawned on me so I can vouch for this method!
Click to expand...


Nice example, whole films full of great impacting compositions.. There's not many who don't have one particular set of frames in mind I'd suggest

...Jack Nicholson grinning through the split in the door? Fab close in composition, splits, whiskers and all ... with a bit of space for him to look into on the right Im thinking of.
.
 
Kubrik was of course a photographer before he was a director and I think it shows in the strenght in the composition of his films.

Early Ridley Scott is a goldmine for great composition too, Bladerunner and Alien are pretty well known but the The Duellists is great aswell, packed full of great landscape compisition with the Harvey Keitel looking out on the flooded valley at the end being one of the most beautiful bits of cinema I'v ever seen...

[YOUTUBE]WvpGOG_cCSM&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
 
Last edited:
I think some of the most fantastically filmed movies over the last couple of decades has come from Martin Scorsese. Look at the beautiful frames of Shutter Island, or the perfectly composed shots in The Departed.

Genious.
 
I agree with he decades Jim, not so much Scorsese but for me from like way back when Laurence of Arabia was filmed in super wide 70mm with stunning results, what an epic of all landscape epics.

I'll have to watch Shutter island again ... Its a dilemma for sure, whether to watch the film or analyse the frames and miss the film. :lol:

Moreorless. That’s a belting example, what a scene! ...rules of exposure thrown out for compositional impact ..now that’s photography.


… shame then op has lost interest. ..whoever they where.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top