Photo Tips San Diego Underwater Photographic Society
Photo Tips
San Diego Underwater Photographic Society
| Monthly Photo Tip
By Randy Morse Work The Composition Composition is one of the fundamentals of photography. Obviously, the placement of the central subject and other elements within the frame is critical to the final result. Composition is also one of the most difficult aspects of photography to master. It's often said that you either have an eye for composition or you don't. To some extent I do believe this is true. Those who are recognized as being exceptional photographers all have one thing in common. They have what seems an innate ability to capture that something extra which makes there images pop. But how much of this something extra is innate and how much is due to a commitment of years to perfecting their craft? As for me, I can look back at the pictures I had taken say fifteen years ago and see a marked improvement in the images I produce today. It appears that much of my ability to compose has been learned or at least much refined over time. So how can you improve your composition skills? Even though it is hard to define how to produce great compositions, or even what exactly makes a great composition, there are techniques you can use to improve your skill. Probably the best known is the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds provides a starting point for learning good composition. If you don't know the details of this technique then pickup a book on basic photography which covers it. Get those first couple of frames out of the way. You know the ones I'm talking about. Those first excited shots that are going |
to let you get back on the boat with bragging rights about
what you have just seen and captured on film. Then stop, clear your head,
look through the viewfinder and find the best composition to capture the
subject before you. Diagonal composition is another handy technique. Rather
than lining up your subject squarely across the frame, place the subject
at a diagonal within the frame. Use the four corners of the viewfinder
to position your subject in the frame. For example, by positioning the
central subject along a line from the upper left corner of the frame down
to the center of the frame or even all the way down toward the lower right
hand corner, will often impart a sense of flow to the subject. I believe
there are four things which are the most important for learning composition.
First, study photographs which interest you. Ask yourself questions like,
what is it exactly which makes this picture so good? What are all the individual
elements in this image and why are they working so well together? By doing
this you are teaching yourself to have "an eye for good composition".
Whether it be a great shot in a book or magazine or when looking out through
your own viewfinder, you will then know a great composition when you see
it. The second through fourth most important techniques to practice are
shoot, shoot and shoot some more. As you take all those pictures, sit down
at a light table and become your own worst critic. Go through your material
in fine detail, keep what has worked and toss what has not.
Your questions and comments are welcomed. Randy Morse |
