You already know a great deal about the composition choices that I make. You know my thoughts on what matters most in photography, the rule of thirds, central composition and element placement at the edges of the frame. Whichever preference is yours, I certainly hope you've learned something from reading...
Composition and Art Category Archive - Page 12
Explore the Edges
If we see the rule of thirds as the default, "bread and butter" sort of composition guide, I can think of at least two ways to break that rule and distance your work from it. The first one is to use, against the advice of many photographers, central composition. It...
The Sin, the Evil, the Horror of Direct Sunlight
Any photographer will tell you - you do not take portraits in direct sunlight. It's ugly. It's much too contrasty. It wreaks havoc on automatic exposure and tests all sorts of other boring technical aspects of a camera to the limit. It's difficult to pose in, difficult to see in;...
The Magic of “7” in Composition
This article will no doubt be the shortest one I will ever write about image composition as it contains only one, very simple idea. And, that is the number “7”. If you’re like me and tend to see the world around you as shapes and angles when you have a...
Introduction to Black and White Nature Photography
What makes a good black-and-white photograph, how do I take one, and why should I try when I have this nifty hypersaturation preset that makes even my lamest photos look awesome? I’ll answer the last question first – your oversharpened oversaturated photos stink. Their gaudy colors may suck the eye...
Improving Eye Flow by Creating Corner Exits
Back in the day when I was working in corporate life, I gained quite a bit of experience creating and managing advertising, usually print based. When we designed ads, it became second nature for us to constantly think about fundamental concepts like visual depth, dominating elements, and ad balance. The...
Central Composition is Brilliant
Central composition is considered by many as downright boring. Here is what I say in return: cliché. When used well, I absolutely adore central composition, there's nothing else quite like it. Of course, there is a strong reason why so many photographers, when giving advice to beginners, start with the...
Improve Your Photography
As with every skill, be it conscious or instinctive, your ability to choose composition for any given moment you wish to capture improves with time, practice and experience. And it's not just composition, of course, but the sense of light, peak moment, emotion. I strongly believe our photography, from a...
Creating and Using Leading Lines
One of the most important considerations any photographer makes is determining compositional lines in images they create. In this short article, I will be discussing how various elements can become leading lines and add to the visual flow of your images. NIKON 1 V2 + 6.7-13.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ ISO...
The Importance of Straightening The Horizon and Aligning Lines
One of the most common mistakes I see when reviewing images submitted by our readers, or when reviewing portfolio images during our workshops, is a rather simple case of crooked horizons or badly aligned lines. Although most photographers are very well aware of this one, for some reason many simply...