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Composition in Photography
Nancy Rosenbaum
President, Goddard Photo Club
February 2012
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Composition
• Components of Composition – Rule of Thirds – Leading the Eye; Lines – Framing – Focus – Depth of Field – Angle of View – Distractions
• Nature Photography • Portrait Photography • Gallery
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The Rule of Thirds
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©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
Find Lines • Lines lead the eye from one point to another
• Diagonals can convey motion and energy
• Horizontals can convey stability, calm
• Verticals can convey strength, solidity, and power
• Arcs and semi-circles can isolate, emphasize, and frame an area
• Patterns create rhythm and movement
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Lines, Continued
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Lead the Eye into the Picture
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©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
Framing
• Filling the frame
– How near or far will be the subject appear to the viewer?
– Do you want the subject to fill the frame?
– What other objects are in the frame (e.g., foreground and background objects)?
– Do they support the visual story you are telling?
– How do they contribute to or detract from the composition?
• Arrangement of objects in the frame
– Point of view – left, right, down, up
– Zoom in or out
– Move closer or farther away
• Natural frames - use to your advantage
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Filling the Frame
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Natural Frames
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©Nancy Rosenbaum
Horizontal or Vertical?
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©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
Focus
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Depth of Field
• Depth of Field – the range appearing in focus
– Small f/ number = large aperture = shallow depth of field
– Large f/ number = small aperture = long depth of field
– Longer focus distance = longer depth of field
– Longer focal length lens (e.g., telephoto = shorter depth of field)
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Depth of Field
Focal length: 135 mm Aperture: f/5.0 Subj. distance: 6.9 ft
Focal length: 18 mm Aperture: f/3.5 Subj. distance: infinity
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Depth of Field
Focal length: 82 mm Aperture: f/8.0 Subj. distance: 4.6 ft
Focal length: 200 mm Aperture: f/5.6 Subj. distance: 41 ft
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Angle of View
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©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
Angle of View, cont’d.
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Angle of View, cont’d.
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Focal Length
• “Normal” – Field of view reproduces what the human eye would see – Relationships between distances appears “normal” to us – Focal length = diagonal size of the film or sensor – FL = 50 mm in a 35 mm camera; 28 mm in DX sensor camera; 22 mm in a four-
thirds sensor camera)
• Wide angle – Field of view is wider than the eye would normally see – Objects appear farther away – Relationships between distances appear greater – FL numbers are less than the normal FL
• Telephoto – Field of view is narrower than the eye would normally see – Objects appear closer – Relationships between distances appear smaller – FL numbers are greater than the normal FL
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Focal Length
Focal length: 55 mm Focal length: 98 mm
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Focal Length, cont’d.
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©Nancy Rosenbaum
Distractions
Train yourself to look at every element and object in the frame:
• Are there unwanted objects in the foreground or background?
• Are there places where colors or values (light/dark) are so similar that the subject seems to disappear into the background?
• Is there an extremely bright or dark spot that draws the eye away from the subject?
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Intrusions Unwanted objects that detract from the composition
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Intrusions, cont’d.
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Intrusions, cont’d.
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Mergers Two or more overlapping objects that appear to be joined
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©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
Mergers, cont’d.
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©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
Mergers, cont’d. Border merger: object(s) cut off in an awkward place
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Bright Spots or “Black Holes” • The brightest values pull our attention
• Large areas of low value can also be a distraction
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©Nancy Rosenbaum ©Nancy Rosenbaum
Seven Principles of Nature Photography Composition
• Clarify your message
• Keep it simple
• Be patient
• Fill the frame
• Consider verticals
• Find lines
• Place subjects off-center
from the Beginner's Guide To Nature Photography by Cub Kahn
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Pay Attention to the Light
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©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
Portrait Composition
• Fill the frame with your subject
• Keep eyes in the upper third
• Use framing to concentrate all attention on your subject
• Create texture
• Use lines
• Change your angles
6 Tips for Perfect Composition in Portrait Photography by Christina N Dickson Read more: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/6-tips-for-perfect-composition-in-portrait-photography#ixzz1mB7Y82zC
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©Nancy Rosenbaum
©Nancy Rosenbaum
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GALLERY
Courtesy Library of Congress
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Dorothea Lange Migrant Mother, 1936
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Walker Evans Laura Minnie Lee Tengle , 1935
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Thomas Askew Weeding sugar beets for $2.00 an hour, 1972
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Photographer Unknown Vietnam… A Marine walking point for his unit during Operation Macon, a marine moves slowly, cautious of enemy pitfalls… 1966
Thomas Askew Atlanta University, Georgia, 1899
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American Colony (Jerusalem), Photo Dept. Egyptian camel transport passing over Olivet, 1918
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Alice S. Kandell Mount Kānchenjunga, Third Highest Mountain in the World, btw. 1965-1979
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Alice S. Kandell Sikkim, Oversized Melons and Fruit Grow, 1969
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Abdullah Fréres Tuberculosis Ward of the Hasköy Hospital for Women, btw. 1880 - 1893
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