Tom Clark - Digital Photography Composition For Dummies

Figure 21-5 shows a more intimate view of the scene. The viewer still has enough information to get an idea of where the woman is, but this composition is more about her than the environment.

135mm, 1/200 sec.,V5.S, 400

Figure 21-5:Use a long lens to narrowyour angle of view and draw more attention to your subject.

If you want to minimize the detail in a scene as much as possible and show a detailed, intimate image of your subject, use a long lens and move in close to her. In Figure 21-6,1 used the same lens as Figure 21-5 but positioned my camera closer to the model. By doing so, I caused the background to become blurry and the model to take up most of the frame's space. This composition brings the viewer face to face with the subject.

135mm, 1/100 sgc.,fAS, 400

Figure 21-6:When using a long lens, move in close to your subject to make it all about her.

Photos often include a midground and background but lack a foreground. For a dynamic composition, try creating an image that contains both of these plus a foreground. Foreground elements help create the illusion of three-dimensional depth in an image. So be sure to study the foreground elements that exist in your scene and determine which ones tell the story of where you are.

In Figure 21-7 the subject is down on the beach, and the camera is up on the path. This angle includes the path in the composition without having the woman on it, which gives a sense of the environment in a not-so-literal manner.

35mm, 1/200 sec, f/5,400

Figure 21-7:Choose a vantage point that includes foreground elements for more dynamic compositions.

Applying a compositional frame to your image helps to seal off the edges of your image and aids in drawing a viewer's eyes into the subject. (You can read more about these frames in Chapter 11.) In Figure 21-8, for example, the palm fronds at the top of the frame and the trees at the left and right edges help keep your eyes from wandering outside of the photograph. This framing also helps make the composition more interesting and descriptive.

85mm, 1/200 sec, f/5,400

Figure 21-8:Trees often can be used to frame a scene.

If you determine that a scene isn't suitable for photographing a certain subject — perhaps because of the distracting background, foreground, or midground elements — you can always seek a vantage point that offers negative space. This type of space contains no descriptive details and includes things like a white sky or a blank wall. You can use negative space to get a clean portrait of your subject with no distracting or competing elements. Figure 21-9 was taken in the same location as the rest of the images from this chapter, but it offers none of the supporting evidence. For more information on negative space, head to Chapter 9.

115mm, 1/60 sec, fA6,400

Figure 21-9:Draw maximum attention to your subject with the use of negative space.

Pay attention to the lighting in your scene and be aware of how it will affect your subject. For example, if your subject is backlit, as in Figure 21–10, you won't see much detail. Instead you'll get a silhouette, which is great for emphasizing shape. Often you see the backlighting technique used in sunset shots when the sun is low in the sky and the camera is pointed right at it. Anything that's between the sun and the camera appears as a silhouette.

I used a low angle in the composition of Figure 21–10 to ensure that the dark subject was against a bright background. This lighting helps to make her shape stand out rather than blending in with the other dark elements.

28mm, 1/250 sec, f/5.6, 200

Figure 21–10:Find a perspective in which your subject is backlit to emphasize its shape.

A •

Abbey Road coverage, 319 abstract art

challenges of photographing, 284

macro photography, 286

shapes and lines in, 285

simple composition, 286

tonality, 285 action photography. See motion stopping

photography action sequence, 288

active space, 265

Adams, Ansel (photographer), 96, 117, 236

Adobe Photoshop software. See Photoshop

editing software aerial shots, 277

American Gothic painting, 319

analogous color scheme, 90–91, 312–313

angle. See also unusual angles

children's photography, 273

Dutch, 133

fashion photography, 228

flower photography, 254

food photography, 256

portrait photography, 217-218

to show scene, 325

for subject emphasis, 326

3/4,217

angle of view, 118–120 animal photography. See wildlife

photography aperture

Av aperture priority mode, 43

controlling light with, 37-38

defined, 2, 37

depth of field control, 38

macro photography, 236-237

sports photography, 276

values in 1-stop increments, 38

architectural photography

exterior buildings, 259-260

hard lighting, 156

interior, 260-262

lighting, 259

at night, 259

overview, 258

soft lighting, 156

tripod for, 47 art photography

abstract art, 284-287

collage, 289-290

fine art, 280-283

mixing digital techniques and film cameras for, 291

multiple images, combining, 287-288

overview, 279

subject, finding, 280

what to photograph, 280 assistant, 160 auto focus

continuous, 265

for focal point, 107

one-shot, 264–265 automatic camera setting, 15 automatic modes

Av aperture priority, 43

full, 43

Tv shutter priority, 43

when to use, 44 available light source, 171

background badly lit, 143–144

balance between subject and, 135

basic description of, 68

chaotic, 151

choosing a, 314

color, 151

background (continued)

distracting, 144-145

environmental portrait, 136

flower photography, 252-253

food photography, 256

lighting, 168

literal elements in, 151

merged with subject, 145-146

as most descriptive element, 149-150

multiple image concepts, 289

negative space, 136

posed portrait, 222

problems, preventing and fixing, 146-149

prop, 149

rules of composition, 68

self-created, 148-149

sense of depth, 12, 68-69

solid, 139, 141–142, 151

subject combined with, 152

tight space, 138-140

tonality, 151

wide-open spaces, 137–138 backlighting

for emphasis, 334

for shape emphasis, 61 balance

achieving, 13-14

controlling with color, 196-197

creating harmony with, 193-197

drawing attention to elements through, 13-14

informal, 196

negative space for, 197

rules of composition, 82-84

sense of scale, 197-199

with symmetry, 195-196

vanishing point, 195

visual impact, 194

weight distribution, 83–84, 194

without symmetry, 82–83

barrel distortion, 130, 138

battery-powered flash, 155

beauty dish, 161

beginner lens, 46

B&H Web site, 45

black-and-white images

color channels, 94

contrast, 97

converting images to, 97-99

for emphasis, 100

exposure, 96

tonal scale, 96

when to shoot, 99-100 blue