Photo Composition 101, Part 1: Leading a Viewer's Eye - Learn how to take Pictures
When most of us "ooh and ahh" over a picture, it's usually the composition that has captivated us. It's not just the content of the picture that we respond to, but rather the way a photographer has created something greater than its parts. For example, compare these two pictures of the Snake River leading up to the Teton Mountains.
Example 1:
http://www.thebackpacker.com/pictures/us...
Example 2:
http://www.photographywest.com/media/ima...
Go back and forth between the two pictures to compare them with one another. These are two beautiful pictures of basically the same landscape, but which photograph's overall composition captured your eye more? I would suspect that it was the second example. The gentle "S" curve of the river draws your eye right into the scene and up to the snow capped Tetons and those glorious clouds.
The second photograph was taken by Ansel Adams (http://www.anseladams.com/Ansel-Adams-Bi... ), a photographer who was especially celebrated for the composition of his pictures. He was both patient about waiting for the right moment to shoot and meticulous about composing his overall picture. There is well-repeated tale about Adams being on a photography shoot in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with some friends. He was standing behind his tripod framing a shot when he deserted the camera, tramped into the scene, and ripped a branch from a tree, tossing it out of the frame. When his friends started to chastise this long-time Sierra Club (http://www.sierraclub.org/ansel_adams ) member for meddling with the environment, he simply stated that the branch did not belong in the picture.
Knowing what belongs in a picture and what doesn't is at the crux of good composition. Sometimes good composition can be achieved afterwards in the editing process (cropping, straightening, etc.), but it's usually best if you take the time to think about it beforehand and take into consideration everything within your viewfinder or LCD screen before taking the shot.
In my next few columns, I will explore the topic of photographic composition in this column. This month's focus is on "Leading a Viewer's Eye," which is exactly what the Ansel Adam's "Tetons and Snake River" photograph (Example 2, above) achieves so very well.
Leading a Viewer's Eye
If a photograph is composed well, your eye is led from one part of the image to the next automatically, until the entire subject has been viewed. To achieve this effect you need to look for things within a scene that will grab a viewer's eye and lead them exactly where you want them to go.
"S" Curves
The Ansel Adams photograph you looked at in Example 2 used an "S" Curve shape to lead your eye from the foreground clear through to the mountain peaks. In the picture at left, the angular curve of the steps leads your eye right to the front door in the picture. (To view a larger picture for this example: http://www.karinrex.com/picts/leadingeye... )
Diagonal Lines
A strong diagonal line in a picture, such as the picture on the left, leads a viewer's eye by forcing them to look at something in a different way. Notice how the picture on the right doesn't seem as captivating. (To view larger pictures for these examples: http://www.karinrex.com/picts/diagonalRE... and http://www.karinrex.com/picts/diagonalRE... )
Color and Perspective
In the photograph at left, the repeated color orange in the buoys and life preserver, reinforces the linear perspective of the picture, drawing your eye in to the main subject. (To view a larger picture for this example: http://www.karinrex.com/picts/colorpersp... )
YOU Try It
Go out and take a few pictures that use the concepts outlined above. Find a winding road or path and take a few pictures from a variety of angles to see which camera angles accentuate the "S" shape and which angles downplay it. Snap a few shots that highlight strong diagonal line in a picture. Let repeating color and perspective play off one another to form a strong image. If you are able to, post links to examples of your work on our discussion board. Happy shooting!
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