Tom Clark: Digital Photography Composition For Dummies

Introduction ......... 7

About This Book............1

Conventions Used in This Book.........2

What You're Not to Read..........3

Foolish Assumptions...........3

How This Book Is Organized..........3

Part I: The Basics of Composition........3

Part II: Elements of Photographic Design.....4

Part III: Arranging the Key Elements to Compose

a Successful Shot..........4

Part IV: Composition in Action.......4

Part V: The Part of Tens........4

Icons Used in This Book.........5

Where to Go from Here...........5

Part I The Basics of Composition ....7

Chapter 1: Photographic Composition: The Overview...9

Getting a Grasp on Good Composition.......10

Defining photographic composition......10

Leading the eye to important elements......12

Achieving balance..........13

Gaining Control of Your Compositions.......15

Working your basic camera settings.......15

Choosing the lens that fits your message.....16

Using perspective to enhance your message.....16

Pulling together the elements of composition.....18

Chapter 2: Developing an Eye for Composition....21

Studying What the Eye Sees.........22

Contrast...........23

Distance...........23

Patterns...........23

Relationships between subjects and supporting elements..24

Seeing What the Camera Sees........26

Revealing three dimensions in a two-dimensional medium...27

Paying attention to everything in the frame.....29

Finding and Creating Effective Compositions......31

Chapter 3: Getting to Know Your Equipment....33

Making the All-Important Lens Choice........34

Working with a fixed lens........34

Saving time with a zoom lens.......35

Exposing Your Images Properly........36

Taking a closer look at aperture, shutter speed, and ISO..37

Using a histogram to check exposure.......40

Discovering your camera's light meter.....42

Relying on your camera's automatic modes....43

Putting Together an Effective Toolkit.......44

Finding a camera that fits your photography style and budget..45

Looking for a lens to suit your needs......46

Selecting memory cards........46

Getting the right external flash........47

Trying a tripod...........47

Part II: Elements of Photographic Design

Chapter 4: Introducing the Elements of Photographic Design.51

Grasping the Point about Points........52

Following Lines, Real and Imagined........54

Looking at literal lines.........55

Tracking implied lines.........57

Bringing More to the Mix with Shape and Form......58

Distinguishing between shape and form.....58

Emphasizing shape or form in a composition....61

Adding Scale or Depth with Texture.......62

Considering Pattern Types.........63

Adding interest with sequence patterns.....63

Leading your viewer by using repetition......64

Breaking patterns to grab attention......66

Chapter 5: Arranging Visual Elements in a Frame

According to the "Rules"......67

Looking at Foreground, Background, and the Space Between..68

Enlivening Your Images with the Rule of Thirds.....69

Dividing your frame to conquer composition....70

Using the thirds to their fullest........71

Interpreting the rule of thirds to make it work for your scene..73

Taking Advantage of Space to Get Your Message Across....76

Giving your subject more (or less) space.....76

Allowing shapes room to breathe......77

Staggering objects within your frame.......78

Containing lines inside your frame......79

Keeping an Image Simple or Unleashing Controlled Chaos...80

Balancing Your Compositions.........82

Chapter 6: Paying Attention to Color in Composition..85

Discovering Color Basics..........85

Using complementary colors for contrast......87

Maximizing monochromatic color schemes....88

Creating harmony with analogous colors.....90

Drawing the eye with color.........91

Shooting for Black and White.........94

Being aware of how your digital sensor sees light....94

Exposing your photo for black and white.....96

Converting an image to black and white using the three channels.........97

Color or Black and White? How Your Decision Impacts Your Message..........99

Part III: Arranging the Keu Elements to Compose

a Successful Shot....... 101

Chapter 7: Using Focal Points to Tell a Story....103

Finding Your Focal Point and Helping It Take Center Stage..103

Making your focal point stand out.......105

Using your camera's focus control to select your focal point.106

Determining how much of the frame your focal point should cover...........107

Enhancing Your Message with Selective Focus.....109

Getting creative with your focal points......110

Controlling depth of field........112

Adding a Secondary Focal Point to Your Composition....115

Chapter 8: Finding Your Perspective...117

Looking at Things from a New Perspective......117

Understanding how perspective impacts your message..118

Making choices about perspective......120

Selecting perspective according to light......121

Considering Techniques to Get the Shot......123

Moving the subject or yourself........124

Zooming in to reveal details.......125

Using focal length to achieve your goals......127

Rotating Your Camera to Create Unusual Angles....128

Putting the subject off center.......129

Placing the subject in the top or bottom of the frame..130

Changing your camera's orientation.......132

Chapter 9: Backgrounds: As Important as the Subject..135

From Great Outdoors to Crawlspace: Considering Types

of Backgrounds..........136

Working with wide-open spaces......137

Handling tight spaces........138

Using solid backgrounds.........139

Recognizing Problem Backgrounds........143

Badly lit backgrounds.........143

Distracting backgrounds.........144

Backgrounds that merge with your subject.....145

Preventing and Fixing Problems........146

Identifying poor backgrounds by reviewing

your work as you go........147

Creating your own backgrounds to avoid problems...148

Using Background Elements to Support Your Subject...149

Chapter 10: Using Light to Tell Your Story...153

Recognizing Sources of Light.........153

Understanding Light Quality and Intensity......155

Considering hard light versus soft light.....156

Controlling your contrast.........159

Modifying the quality and contrast of light....159

The Relationship between Light Source and Subject.....163

Seeing how distance makes a difference......163

Positioning your light source to create lighting patterns...164

Adding a third light source.......167

Breaking the patterns and creating your own look...169

Manipulating the Direction of Natural Light......170

Giving yourself the time of day........171

Appreciating different results in different seasons...174

Setting Light in Motion..........174

Accounting for the Color of Light........177

Chapter 11: Adding Interest through Framing and Formatting..179

Making the Most of Framing.........180

Giving your image a sense of depth......181

Adding interest by getting creative with your