Visual Literacy Concepts
Photographic Composition
Make the photograph interesting
Composition Balance Subject Placement Pattern
Tone Light
Direction Quality
Composition is
the arrangement of items in an
image where the subject is, in relation to
the borders of the image
the key to successful images
Composition is Balance
Symmetry Asymmetry
Subject Placement Leading Lines Framing Rule of Thirds
Pattern Radial Design Repetition
Balance
Make the photograph interesting
Be Sure to Balance Symmetrical Asymmetrical
Balance
Equality of the left & right sides of the image
Balance
Symmetry Both sides of an
imaginary central line are the same
Asymmetry Both sides of an imaginary
central line ARE NOT the same
Symmetry
Both sides of an imaginary central line are the same
• Karl Blossfeldt
Asymmetry
Both sides of an imaginary central line ARE NOT the same
• Karl Blossfeldt
Symmetry
Both sides of an imaginary central line are the same
• Diane Arbus
Asymmetry
Both sides of an imaginary central line ARE NOT the same
• Diane Arbus
Symmetry
Both sides of an imaginary central line are the same
• Walker Evans
Asymmetry
Both sides of an imaginary central line ARE NOT the same
• Walker Evans
Which? Symmetry or Asymmetry?
Both sides of an imaginary central line ARE NOT the same
• Ansel Adams
Which? Symmetry or Asymmetry?
Both sides of an imaginary central line ARE NOT the same
• Bill Brandt
Which? Symmetry or Asymmetry?
Both sides of an imaginary central line ARE NOT the same
• Jerry Uelsmann
Balance
Equality of the left & right sides of the image
Asymmetrical Balance -
Both sides of an imaginary central line ARE NOT the same
Symmetrical Balance - Both sides of an imaginary central line are the same
Make the photograph interesting
Draw Attention to Your Subject Leading Lines
Framing
Rule of Thirds
Leading Lines
Draw Attention to Your Subject
Leading Lines Lines that lead
in a path to the subject
• Ansel Adams
Lines that lead in a path to the subject
• Lewis Hine
Leading Lines
Leading Lines
Lines that lead in a path to the subject
• Dorothea Lange
Make the photograph interesting
Draw Attention to Your Subject Leading Lines
Framing
Rule of Thirds
Framing
Draw attention to the subject
Framing Objects within the
borders of the image frame the subject
• Arnold Newman
Framing
Objects within the borders of the image frame the subject
• Manuel Alvarez-Bravo
Framing
Objects within the borders of the image frame the subject
• Anne Geddes
Make the photograph interesting
Draw Attention to Your Subject Leading Lines
Framing
Rule of Thirds Rule of Thirds
Rule of Thirds
Place the subject in a junction of an imaginary “tic-tac-toe” grid over the image.
• Dorothea Lange
Rule of Thirds
Place the subject in a junction of an imaginary “tic-tac-toe” grid over the image.
• Imogen Cunningham
Rule of Thirds
Place the subject in a junction of an imaginary “tic-tac-toe” grid over the image.
• Steve Ludlum
Rule of Thirds
Place the subject in a junction of an imaginary “tic-tac-toe” grid over the image.
Make the photograph interesting
Look for patterns Radial Design RepetitionRadial Design
Radial Design
Objects, shapes, lines, and/or colors radiate out from a central point in a circular pattern.
• Alfred Eisenstaedt
Radial Design
Objects, shapes, lines, and/or colors radiate out from a central point in a circular pattern.
• James Nachtwey
Make the photograph interesting
Look for patterns Radial Design RepetitionRepetition
Same shape, line, pattern, and/or color is repeated throughout the image.
• Harry Callahan
Repetition
• Margaret Bourke-White
Repetition
Same shape, line, pattern, and/or color is repeated throughout the image.
Elements of Composition
Draw Attention to Your Subject
Make Your Photograph Interesting
Convey a Clear Message
Elements of Composition
Balance Symmetry Asymmetry
Subject Placement Leading Lines Framing Rule of Thirds
Pattern Radial Design Repetition
Recommended
