1. EXPOSURE

Even in the digital age, this is the critical part of the print. Although we can ‘fix it in the mix’, it’s a lot of work, and there are limits to what can be done. Get your composition right in camera, save yourself a lot of work later. When you’re peering through the viewfinder, trigger finger poised, give these some thought –

BASIC STUFF

• Simplify - the most basic question - what is the subject? Where will it be placed in the frame? Decide what you’re taking a photo of, everything else falls into place.
  
  
• Examine all corners of the finder - Your brain automatically eliminates everything but the subject – your camera doesn’t.
  
  
• Eliminate clutter – litter, bright spots, distracting elements all fight for viewer’s attention.
  
  
• Background – the BG can be more than 50% of your image - is your BG clean, uniform, out of focus enough, dark, light? – paying attention here pays a bonus later.
  
  
• Get in Close - Fill the Frame – yeah, yeah, we’ve heard this before. Sure you can crop later, but why waste all that resolution you paid the big bucks for?
  
  
• Skies – If it’s a gray, cloudy day, consider eliminating the sky from your shot altogether. If it can’t be eliminated, include as little as possible.
  
  
  

IF YOU HAVE TIME

• Investigate alternate viewpoints – Walk around your subject, work the angles, lean over,  look up, crouch, lie down, step up on a wall.
  
  
• Horizontal / Vertical – Which camera position suits your subject? – if in doubt, shoot both
  
  
• What lens? – This choice can have a profound effect on the image, and can’t really be altered later
  
  
• Color or B&W?– if you’re using film, this is a choice you pretty much have to make at the exposure stage

BASIC RULES OF COMPOSITION

• Rule of Thirds/ Fifths – a hoary old chestnut, but worth knowing about. The principle has a long and interesting history.
  
  
• Leading Lines – roads, fences, tracks can all add interest by leading your viewer into the print. Be careful they don’t lead him out, too!
  
  
• Repeating Shapes – a line of objects – bottles, buildings, traffic cones, etc, even people, seen from an angle, will become a pattern; can be good alone or as a background.
  
  
• Color contrasts –  Study the color wheel – complementary / competing colors. A subject on a  background of the opposite color will always stand out.
  
  
• Light and Dark – Contrasting the subject with the background is always effective.
  
  
• Scale – When photographing landscapes, it can be a good idea to include something to show scale – a human, an animal, even trees will do.

Remember, above all, rules are made to be broken. If you know the rule, and why you’re breaking it, then you’re well on the way to developing a style of your own. When you’re struggling to put a subject on a third, and it’s crying out to be in the center, put it in the center – it’s your photo!

BACK TO TOP
NEXT - MANIPULATION

---

Web Design © Celtic Light
All photographs, content, © the respective owners
Web Design © CeltWeb