Compositional Awareness

Now that you’ve mastered the technical demands of your camera it’s time to get into the second part of what it takes to make a good image. You’ll know its time for this part when you are able to use your camera to make an image that’s properly exposed and you have the scene you wanted when you took the image. In other word--when the technical part of taking an image is second nature to you and you’re not giving it any real thought.

I find photography exciting and a good way for me to create symmetry within the chaos I find in nature. It’s a good exercise for composing my painting. Photographers need the ability to select and then arrange the elements within the image, which is totally dependent on the viewpoint you have to work with. You’re at the mercy of the world in front of you. My passion for painting and historical details has led me to use photography as a tool, rather than as an art medium.

Teaching someone good composition is a bit difficult. I can help you help yourself to see and achieve good composition by first looking at the elements of composition within good photographs. I was told by a respected teacher to find a well-known or famous photographer or two that I liked and study their work. Pick a photograph that person did and copy it, but in your own way. Learn from this and keep practicing until you eventually develop your own style.

Some photographers use image-editing software to make changes in their photographs. But when you’re learning, it’s best to take what you see, as you see it, and chose the point of view that gives you the image that you have in your mind.

Put simply, you want to arrange the elements of your subject like shapes, lines, tones and colors in the most pleasing and orderly way. An orderly, well-organized image will be successful because its aesthetics are pleasing and the viewer will be able to understand the image.

Rules are meant to be broken but until you know when and how, it might to easier for you to stick to these basic rules for the time being:

• Keep your horizontal or vertical lines level.
• Keep distracting and unwanted details out of your image (organize the chaos in Nature).
• Keep your main subject well defined and isolated from your background.

Keep the three K’s in mind as you make an image and you should stay out of troubleand make a successful well-composed image.

For additional information on Composition, read The Table of Visual Elements. Use the Contact Form and share your suggestions and comments with me.

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