{"id":116327,"date":"2018-10-24T17:10:35","date_gmt":"2018-10-25T00:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=116327"},"modified":"2018-10-24T17:13:15","modified_gmt":"2018-10-25T00:13:15","slug":"how-to-compose-a-photograph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/10\/24\/how-to-compose-a-photograph\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Compose a Photograph"},"content":{"rendered":"

Composition in photography is this:<\/p>\n

\n To construct, to build, prepare, and put together\/arrange an image.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Opposite of destroy?<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The word “destroy” comes from de-struo<\/a> (to un-create).<\/p>\n

Thus, in simple words: composition in photography is to construct\/build an image. You do this by 1) Preparing for the photograph (planning to take a photo BEFORE<\/em> a decisive moment), and 2) Placing and arrange visual elements in a frame.<\/p>\n

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1. How to arrange visual elements in a frame<\/h2>\n

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Consider photography like visual Tetris<\/strong>. You look for building blocks, and decide how to re-arrange the blocks:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For example, look at the picture above. Some questions I might ask myself:<\/p>\n

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  1. How much of the red should I show, versus the blue?<\/li>\n
  2. Do I prefer to shoot this picture as a vertical (portrait orientation) or a horizontal (landscape orientation)? Or– do I prefer to tilt<\/a> the photo?<\/li>\n
  3. How close do I get to the thing I want to photograph, or how far away? For example in the above picture, I took lots of photos on 28mm<\/a> lens (Ricoh GR II<\/a>), at different distances. I took around 10 photos, and decided to keep the above photo, because I felt it had the most dynamic balance.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    2. What is my subject-matter (what do I want to photograph)?<\/h2>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    If you want to make a good photo, you need a strong single subject-matter to photograph. This can be your hand, a body part, a face, or something else.<\/p>\n

    As a practical tip:<\/p>\n

    \n When you’re photographing a scene, try to highlight the 1 primary subject.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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    3. Keep it simple<\/h2>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    When you’re composing a scene, keep it simple. My suggestion is to get close to your subject-matter, and fill the frame with it. You can do this by looking at the corners of the frame while you’re composing.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    An activity:<\/p>\n

    \n Try to make an ‘extremely simple’ photograph– by only showing the extreme minimum in the photo.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

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    4. Center the eye<\/h2>\n

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    Put your subject’s eye in the center of the frame. Raphael<\/a> did this well with his portraits.<\/p>\n

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    5. Outline<\/h2>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Edge detection<\/a>. You need to have separation between visual elements in your frame and the background.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

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    6. Analyze your photos after-the-fact<\/h2>\n
    \"seoul-2009-umbrella-eric-kim-street-photograpy-black-and-white-monochrome-11374600342.jpg\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
    \"umbrella <\/a> <\/div>
    \"Leading <\/a>
    Leading lines of umbrella lady. Seoul, 2009 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
    \"Abstract <\/a>
    Abstract walking woman with umbrella. Seoul. 2009 <\/div> <\/div>
    \"Bauahaus <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
    \"Elegance. <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

    When you are shooting photos, it is difficult to always ascertain whether a composition will be good or not. Thus, analyze<\/a> your photos after-the-fact.<\/p>\n

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    Conclusion: Compose like a child<\/h2>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Study the paintings, drawings, and compositions of children. They do it quite naturally.<\/p>\n

    Remember– to compose is to create. Compose more photos; create more photos.<\/p>\n

    ERIC<\/p>\n

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    Composition 101<\/a><\/h1>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Master composition for yourself:<\/p>\n

    Photography Composition Concepts<\/h2>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n