Apply these simple photography composition tips to your photography today:
NYC Dynamic Street Photography Composition Workshop 2018
To take your composition to the next level, join my NYC Dynamic Street Photography Composition Workshop (Feb 24-25, 2018).
What is composition?
Composition: How you compose a frame, how you divide spaces, or mark spaces inside a frame.
Why is composition important?
Composition is important, because it helps lead the eyes of your viewer. Without composition, your viewer would be lost– they wouldn’t know what to look at.
Not only that, but aesthetically, composition is appealing. When we look at a well-proportioned composition, our eyes feel delight.
Some practical ideas:
1. Diagonal composition
Diagonal
In Greek, ‘dia’ means through, and ‘gone’ means angle, or corner.
Therefore, a diagonal connects the edges or corners of your frame.
To make better compositions, make your photos more dynamic, by adding in the diagonals.
Golden rectangle x Diagonals
See below me draw the ‘Golden rectangle’ composition, with the diagonals in red. The yellow circles are the ‘eye’— where your eyes are drawn to.
2. Figure to ground
Figure to ground: separation between dark and light parts of your frame.
Why is figure to ground important? To create a clear separation between the objects and subjects of your frame, so your viewer doesn’t get confused what to look at.
Therefore, separate your subjects from the background with negative space in between the objects in your frame.
3. Low angle perspective composition
Crouch down low, and shoot looking up. This creates the ‘Superman effect’— your subject looks bigger than life.
4. Curve composition
Curves are more dynamic, and add movement to your pictures.
Fibonacci spiral:
5. Layers
Make photos with foreground, middle ground, and background.
Case study
Example, this picture with the woman on the far left is closest to us (red), then the woman on the right (yellow, a little further away), then the man in the background (blue).
6. Golden proportion composition
More examples of the Golden proportion:
7. Triangle composition
Create triangle compositions for more balance in the frame.
Kurosawa, Rashomon composition
Conclusion
To study more great composition, study cinema, design, and find inspiration from everywhere in the world. Ultimately, all composition comes from nature.
ERIC
NYC Dynamic Street Photography Composition Workshop 2018
To take your composition to the next level, join my NYC Dynamic Street Photography Composition Workshop (Feb 24-25, 2018).
Composition
Dynamic Photography Composition 101
- Introduction to Dynamic Photography Composition
- How to Visually Analyze Your Photography Compositions
- Dynamic Tension: Opponent Based Theory For Photography
- Opponent Process Color Theory For Photographers
- Dynamic Photography Composition 101: Figure to Ground
Dynamic Photography Composition Tips
- How to Make Aggressive Photography Compositions
- 10 Dynamic Photography Composition Tips
- How to Make More Dynamic Picture Compositions
- Unorthodox Photography Composition Techniques
- Deconstructed: Saigon Eric Kim Photos
Composition Theory
Take your composition to the next level:
- Gestalt Theory
- Juxtaposition
- Center Eye
- Low-Angle
- Dutch Angle
- Deep Depth
- Spacing
- Silhouette
- Leading Lines
- Figure to Ground
- Fibonacci Spiral
- Cropping
- Emotion
- Composition by Eric Kim
Street Photography Composition 101
For distilled lessons on composition, read the free ebook: “The Street Photography Composition Manual.”
Further articles to improve your compositions in photography:
- Composition Lesson #1: Triangles
- Composition Lesson #2: Figure-to-ground
- Composition Lesson #3: Diagonals
- Composition Lesson #4: Leading Lines
- Composition Lesson #5: Depth
- Composition Lesson #6: Framing
- Composition Lesson #7: Perspective
- Composition Lesson #8: Curves
- Composition Lesson #9: Self-Portraits
- Composition Lesson #10: Urban Landscapes
- Composition Lesson #11: “Spot the not”
- Composition Lesson #12: Color Theory
- Composition Lesson #13: Multiple-Subjects
- Composition Lesson #14: Square Format
Composition Theory
Learn compositional theory:
- Why is Composition Important?
- Don’t Think About Composition When You’re Shooting Street Photography
- How to Use Negative Space
- Street Photography Composition 101
- The Theory of Composition in Street Photography: 7 Lessons from Henri Cartier-Bresson