{"id":71146,"date":"2017-11-28T08:59:10","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T16:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=71146"},"modified":"2017-11-28T09:08:19","modified_gmt":"2017-11-28T17:08:19","slug":"how-to-compose-intuitively-in-street-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/28\/how-to-compose-intuitively-in-street-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Compose Intuitively in Street Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kyoto,
Kyoto, 2017. Red line composition golden triangle by ERIC KIM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to composition and photography, you must compose with your gut, and then analyze your best pictures with the best compositions afterwards<\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

BECOME YOUR OWN MASTER IN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Yellow<\/a>
LEARN FROM THE MASTERS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Take your street photography to the next level with MASTERS, printed in California by HAPTICPRESS<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Golden
Golden triangle divided into 1, 2, 3, 4. Study this when at home.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Practical ideas:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Study a lot of composition when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re at home.<\/li>\n
  2. When you shoot on the streets, seek to simplify your scenes (no distractions in background), and make dynamic compositions (diagonals).<\/li>\n
  3. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re at home analyzing your best pictures, choose what your best pictures are according to compositional principles (golden triangle, Fibonacci spiral, figure to ground).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"Analyze
    Analyze your compositions after the fact.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Open awareness in the streets<\/h2>\n
    \"Interact
    Interact with strangers, a good way to provoke a reaction, to make a good street photograph.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out on the streets, embrace the concept of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153open awareness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d from Zen.<\/p>\n

    Walk slowly. Feel the pavement through the soles of your feet. Walk 25% slower than you think you should.<\/p>\n

    \"Often,
    Often, you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know the best composition until you go home, and judge all your pictures of the scene (contact sheet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Contact
    Contact sheet of man in Hanoi. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realize the best shot was until the very end.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Pre-meditate and pre-visualize the decisive moment.<\/p>\n

    Imagine yourself like a dragonfly \u00e2\u20ac\u201d always look half a block ahead of you.<\/p>\n

    Work the scene<\/h2>\n
    \"Interactions
    Interactions with strangers often leads to good moments. Contact sheet of laughing lady.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Also, with composition, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just take 1-2 pictures of the scene. You must \u00e2\u20ac\u0153work the scene\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you must shoot MANY<\/em> pictures of the scene to get one good one.<\/p>\n

    \"Contact
    See how many pictures HCB shot of the scene. Contact sheet from Henri Cartier-Bresson in Seville, Spain, 1933. \u00c2\u00a9 Henri Cartier-Bresson \/ Magnum Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    \n Sometimes you must milk the cow a lot to get a little bit of cheese. – Henri Cartier-Bresson\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    \"final
    Final Picture – Contact sheet from Henri Cartier-Bresson in Seville, Spain, 1933. \u00c2\u00a9 Henri Cartier-Bresson \/ Magnum Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Maybe
    Maybe picture – Contact sheet from Henri Cartier-Bresson in Seville, Spain, 1933. \u00c2\u00a9 Henri Cartier-Bresson : Magnum Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Consider that every time you click the shutter, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re swinging your bat. The more you swing your bat, the more likely you are to hit a home run.<\/p>\n

    \"eric
    Contact sheet, New Orleans.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Whenever I see a good scene, I try to take 30-50 pictures. Usually my best pictures are somewhere in the center, or at the end.<\/p>\n

    \"New
    New Orleans, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Dynamic composition is key.<\/h2>\n
    \"Think
    Think of dynamic diagonals when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting on the streets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Also, when in doubt, embrace dynamic perspectives. Crouch down\u00e2\u20ac\u201d low angle shots are almost always more interesting than eye-level pictures.<\/p>\n

    \"Golden
    Golden triangle composition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Or, get really high\u00e2\u20ac\u201d from a high perspective, and shoot looking down.<\/p>\n

    \"Overpass
    Overpass in Tokyo. High angle, looking down. Dynamic perspective composition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Abstracted
    Abstracted into colors. Overpass in Tokyo. High angle, looking down. Dynamic perspective composition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Avoid boring perspectives \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the eye-level Perspective we always see in life.<\/p>\n

    As a photographer and visual artist, your job is to bring visual novelty and excitement to others. The worst thing you can do as a photographer is bore your viewer.<\/p>\n

    \"Off-center
    Off-center composition. Photograph subjects in the streets on the extreme left or the right of the frame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    And even worse \u00e2\u20ac\u201d don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make pictures that bore you.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \n

    ERIC KIM STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS ><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n

    Iterative Learning<\/h2>\n
    \"To
    To make better street portraits, center one eye in the center. NYC, 2015 Braids.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    To learn how to make better compositions in streeet photography, treat your learning circle as a feedback loop.<\/p>\n

    For example,<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Shoot street photos<\/li>\n
    2. Choose your favorite street photos<\/li>\n
    3. Analyze and deconstruct your compositions, and ask yourself, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why is the composition good?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/li>\n
    4. Apply your learning to the next time you shoot on the streets.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \"Golden
      Golden triangle analysis for Downtown LA, side face tattoo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think you can see red lines when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting on the streets, but you can when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re digesting your pictures at home.<\/p>\n

      \"Leading
      Leading lines of umbrella lady. Seoul, 2009<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \n

      Follow your gut<\/h2>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \n \u00e2\u20ac\u009dComposition must be one of our constant preoccupations, but at the moment of shooting it can stem only from our intuition, for we are out to capture the fugitive moment, and all the interrelationships involved are on the move.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Henri Cartier-Bresson<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shootings the streets, so much is going on. If you analyze too much about composition when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to miss lots of potentially good street photos.<\/p>\n

      So when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting on the streets, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think too much about composition. Follow your gut.<\/p>\n

      \n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It would be mistaken to suppose that any of the best photography is come at by intellection; it is like all art, essentially the result of an intuitive process, drawing on all that the artist is rather than on anything he thinks, far less theorizes about.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Helen Levitt\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      Only think and analyze your compositions when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re at home.<\/p>\n

      Let your pictures marinate<\/h2>\n

      \n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It is more when I am shooting when I am looking at my contact sheets, and then I try to analyze and put things together.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Anders Petersen\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      Generally, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if my compositions or pictures are any good or not, unless I let my photos sit for a long time, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153marinate\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. I will usually have to wait at least a year, before emotionally disconnecting myself with my images, before I can really judge my pictures with uncompromising sincerity.<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Think diagonals<\/h2>\n

      A practical way to shoot better street photos from your intuition: Think diagonals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Diagonals are the best way to make more dynamic compositions.<\/p>\n

      So when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look at the center of the frame. Rather, focus on the edges of the frame. Try to connect the edges of your frame with the diagonals you see in a scene.<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Diagonals and fishing technique in street photography<\/h2>\n

      Compose your scene by connecting the diagonals to the edges of your frame, then wait for your subject to enter the frame (the fishing technique<\/a>):<\/p>\n

      \"Connecting
      Connecting the edges of the frame. Finger pointed where the line ends.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
      \"Kids
      Kids run into the scene, thus completing the composition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      To analyze the composition, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s break it down:<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Here is the image abstracted, to better illustrate the concept of connecting diagonal lines on the edges of the frame:<\/p>\n

      \"Look
      Look at the red edges, top left and top right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Here is the picture of the kids abstracted:<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \n

      Never stop analyzing your pictures<\/h2>\n

      \n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Any geometrical analysis, any reducing of the picture to a schema, can be done only a er the photograph has been taken, developed, and printed- and then it can be used only for a post-mortem examination of the picture.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Henri Cartier-Bresson\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      Know that the techniques you utilize in street photography, like making layers \u00e2\u20ac\u201d can be applied at any time, anywhere.<\/p>\n

      For example, I always practice my composition, when photographing my loved ones and Cindy:<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Always see opportunities for you to flex your compositional skills.<\/p>\n

      Conclusion<\/h2>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Train your eyes. Do visual pushups, and strengthen the muscles of your retinas.<\/p>\n

      Improve your artistic vision by drawing when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not shooting (pick up a copy of CREATIVE EVERY DAY to learn how to draw<\/a>).<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Never stop analyzing great art, and the masters of photography<\/a>. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve paved the way for us, and it is our duty to add to their legacy.<\/p>\n

      Composition is life. Our DNA, molecules, and biology \u00e2\u20ac\u201d who we are as humans is how Mother Nature has put us together and composed us.<\/p>\n

      \"Cindy
      Cindy with red scarf. Berlin, 2017 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      All great artists are composers. You compose music. You compose paintings, you compose people, and of course \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the most important person to compose is yourself.<\/p>\n

      ERIC<\/p>\n

      Take your street photography composition to the next level at ERIC KIM WORKSHOP ><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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