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<\/a>One mistake that less experienced photographers often make is to not get close enough to their subjects.\u00a0 This results in the subject of the image being lost amidst its surroundings.\u00a0 In this photograph of wild irises near North Lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California,\u00a0 the subject is the three irises and the rustic fence post.\u00a0 Getting in close was critical to making this image work.<\/p>\nThis is particularly true when photographing people.\u00a0 All too often we don\u2019t get close enough.\u00a0 (A funny thought, though, is this is generally not a problem for cell phone cameras.\u00a0 Many people hold the cell phone at arms length and take pictures of themselves and their friends.)\u00a0 One more tip when photographing people is to always pay attention to the background.\u00a0 It\u2019s more than the pole sticking out of the person\u2019s head syndrome.\u00a0 Finding the right background can make the photograph a lot more interesting and at the same time set off the people.<\/p>\n
Isolate and Simplify<\/h3>\n
This is part of a broader idea.\u00a0 Eliminate all distracting elements from the image.\u00a0 This is an important principle whether you are photographing a very simple, isolated subject or you have a more complex composition.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Every element in the image should work with every other element.\u00a0 The image would be diminished if one element is removed and diminished if one more element is added.<\/p>\n The Rule of Thirds is one of the so called \u2018Rules\u2019 of composition.\u00a0 And while most visual artists will say there are no \u2018rules\u2019 of composition, this one is so useful that it approaches the status of a rule.<\/p>\n The eye is naturally drawn to these intersection points so placing an object on them naturally draws attention to it.\u00a0 A variation on this idea is to place the main subject on one intersection and a supporting subject on the opposite intersection.\u00a0 For example you may place a family member on the lower right hand corner intersection and the spire of a distant cathedral on the upper left hand corner intersection.<\/p>\n We\u2019re very fortunate that the camera manufacturers recognize what an important role the Rule of Thirds plays and have given us the option of displaying the tic-tac-toe grid on our LCD screens.\u00a0 This is available on most point and shoot and DSLR cameras (with live view) and if your don\u2019t have your camera set up to display it, check your camera manual and turn the feature on.<\/p>\n The Rule of Thirds is not a hard and fast rule.\u00a0 But it is a very powerful guideline.\u00a0 It works so well because our brains seem to be hard wired to be drawn to these lines and their intersections.\u00a0 I\u2019m continually amazed when I\u2019m composing an image how a good composition is made even better by adjusting the elements ever so slightly so they align with the 1\/3rd lines.<\/p>\n It seems to work because our brains like to have things in their place and we tend to want things ordered and in the center.\u00a0 By placing the subject off center our brains try to \u2018correct\u2019 the image and that\u2019s what makes it interesting \u2013 at least that\u2019s probably one of the best theories.<\/p>\n Lines are very important to compositions.\u00a0 Lines lead the eye through the image; they create a mood.<\/p>\n Neither horizontal nor vertical lines impart a feeling of motion.\u00a0 Rather, they are solid and stable, immobile.<\/p>\n Diagonal lines are unstable and that is what gives them such energy.\u00a0 Images that incorporate diagonal lines communicate that energy.\u00a0 If the diagonal lines start at the bottom of the frame and lead up into it we call them Leading Lines.\u00a0 This is a very powerful technique for adding depth to your landscape images.\u00a0 Look for diagonal lines to add tension and excitement to your photographs.<\/p>\n Oftentimes lines can be implied, not explicit.\u00a0 But they still have the same impact and still create the same moods.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t come across S-curves very often and Tony Sweet, famous landscape photographer, advises us to shoot them whenever we find them in nature.<\/p>\n So, rather than showing an image that has a texture like sand paper (which make stunning images indeed), I decided to give you an example of a soft texture.\u00a0 To me in this image of Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park, the qualities of the soft almost fuzzy texture complemented by the soft blue and brown hues evoke the feeling of a baby\u2019s blanket.<\/p>\n In this image of the Mesquite Flats Dunes in Death Valley National Park the peaks of the dunes create patterns albeit irregular patterns.\u00a0 Furthermore, the patterns in the dunes are repeated in the mountains in the background.<\/p>\n Horizontal or vertical, the orientation does matter.\u00a0 We often fall into the habit of always shooting horizontal or always shooting vertical orientations.\u00a0 The best thing to do is to mix it up.\u00a0 In fact, I often shoot the same scene in both orientations.\u00a0 Sometimes I don\u2019t know what will work out best until I\u2019m back in the studio and have a chance to review the images more carefully.\u00a0 When you are shooting and things are happening quickly it\u2019s good insurance to grab both shots and delete one later rather than wish you had taken the other orientation but didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n This photograph of a tree lined lane in Napa Valley, California illustrates the point.\u00a0 A more \u2018standard\u2019 composition would have been to shoot straight down the lane from eye level.\u00a0 And it\u2019s a very beautiful, symmetrical, balanced image.\u00a0 But my moving to the side and dropping down to near ground level the image becomes entirely different.\u00a0 The low viewpoint emphasizes the feeling of depth.<\/p>\n This image also makes use of another compositional technique \u2013 perspective.\u00a0 There are three elements of perspective \u2013 vanishing point, converging lines and foreshortening.\u00a0 They all further strengthen the illusion of depth and three dimensionality.<\/p>\n Being a photographer is about expanding the way you see the world.\u00a0 And one very effective way of doing this is through exploring and trying out different compositional techniques.\u00a0 I believe that it\u2019s perfectly OK to say, \u201cI\u2019m shooting this for its texture,\u201d or whatever.\u00a0 I often have a technique in mind when I\u2019m composing an image \u2013 \u201cOh, S-curve!\u201d.<\/p>\n So the challenge for you is to pick one of these techniques that you don\u2019t consciously use and go out and use it.\u00a0 Explore it.\u00a0 Get comfortable with it.\u00a0 Internalize it.<\/p>\n Then do it again with another technique.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a marvelous experience.\u00a0 I know you will enjoy the journey.<\/p>\n<\/a>Many images benefit from isolating the subject and simplifying the surroundings as in the case of this wandering rock on Death Valley\u2019s famous Racetrack Playa.\u00a0 With this principle you can create a whole style of photography that is simple, clean and refreshing.\u00a0 It\u2019s harder than it looks (unless you\u2019re on a playa with only one rock around).\u00a0 But with practice you can train your eye to pick out the simple and orderly from the chaos.<\/p>\nRule of Thirds<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Imagine that there is a tic-tac-toe grid drawn on your image.\u00a0 The idea behind the Rule of Thirds is to place important objects on the horizontal or vertical lines of the grid or at their intersections.\u00a0 In this morning photograph of Point Imperial on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, Mount Hayden is placed on the left vertical 1\/3rd line.\u00a0 The reason this works so well is that placing key elements on 1\/3rd lines is very pleasing and at the same time creates visual tension which makes the image more interesting.<\/p>\n<\/a>The Rule of Thirds can be used in many other ways as well.\u00a0 You can place the visual focal point of the image at the intersection of two of the lines as in this photograph of the interior of the Elizabethen Kirche in Basel, Switzerland.\u00a0 The lines converging on the lower right hand intersection produce a very powerful effect.<\/p>\n<\/a>Another effective use of the Rule of Thirds is to determine where you will place the horizon.\u00a0 In this image of Lake Superior I wanted to emphasize the way a body of water glows during twilight.\u00a0 So the emphasis here is the water and I placed the horizon on the upper 1\/3rd line.\u00a0 If I had wanted to emphasize the sky I would have placed the horizon on the bottom 1\/3rd line.<\/p>\nOff Center<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Closely related to the Rule of Thirds is Off Center.\u00a0 In this technique the subject is placed slightly off center as opposed to being right in the center of the image.\u00a0 The bulls eye is a dead spot, lacking in energy and life.\u00a0 Moving the subject slightly off center as in this photograph of the sacred Spirit Little Cedar Tree on the North Shore of Lake Superior adds the right amount of tension (and interest).<\/p>\nLines<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Let\u2019s start with horizontal lines.\u00a0 This photograph of dawn in Napa Valley, California has horizontal or near horizontal lines in the vineyards and the sky.\u00a0 How does this make you feel?\u00a0 What sort of mood does it convey?\u00a0 Most people would say this image has a quiet, peaceful mood.\u00a0 Often times flat, horizontal lines will give the image a lifeless look.\u00a0 The fact that these lines are sloping just a little (along with the windmill and the trees) helps to keep the image interesting.<\/p>\n<\/a>Vertical lines produce a completely different mood.\u00a0 Everything about a Gothic cathedral is vertical.\u00a0 The aim of the architecture is to draw our eyes to heaven and bathe all inside with heavenly light.\u00a0 In this photograph of the interior of the magnificent Kolner Dom in Cologne, Germany the vertical lines of the fluted columns accentuate this uplifting feeling.\u00a0 Other moods created by vertical lines are feelings of energy and strength.<\/p>\n<\/a>Motion comes from diagonal lines.\u00a0 Even this abstract photographed near Jumbo Rock Campground in Joshua Tree National Park, California has motion.<\/p>\n<\/a>Curves are all around us.\u00a0 They are graceful and flowing.\u00a0 They add a feeling of elegance to an image.\u00a0 In this image of a dirt road in Northern Minnesota, the curve is not visible but implied.\u00a0 You know the road turns as it drops out of site.\u00a0 You don\u2019t need to actually see the curve to know its there.\u00a0 Your mind fills it in.\u00a0 But the effect is still the same.<\/p>\n<\/a>I think the most graceful of all lines is the S-curve.\u00a0 In this photograph of a redwood grove along the Big Sur Coast of California the road leads us into the image, making a very gentle S-curve.\u00a0 It complements the vertical lines of the redwoods and produces an invitation to enter this beautiful and stately forest.<\/p>\nTextures<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Textures are very interesting and exciting.\u00a0 Textures are the illusion of roughness.\u00a0 They are often created by tiny shadows on an object when light strikes its surface at a low angle.\u00a0 But you don\u2019t always need this kind of light to see the texture; it\u2019s just that it brings it out more.<\/p>\nPatterns<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Patterns are very rare in nature.\u00a0 Well, let\u2019s refine that statement.\u00a0\u00a0 Regular patterns are very rare in nature.\u00a0 Regular patterns are generally found in man made structures.\u00a0 There are exceptions in nature however \u2013 the petals of a flower, the shell of a snail and so on.\u00a0 But in general nature is chaotic.<\/p>\nFraming<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Framing the subject is a technique that has been used so often it\u2019s almost a clich\u00e9.\u00a0 You\u2019ve seen the photograph of a building with a branch from a nearby tree filling part of the blank sky above.\u00a0 (Some real estate photographers have their assistant hold a branch if one is not handy.)\u00a0 But there are times when framing is the perfect technique.\u00a0 This photograph of the Red Cathedral in Colmar, France was begging to be framed.\u00a0 The archway with the lamp hanging from the ceiling framed a very interesting section of the side of the cathedral.\u00a0 All the elements came together to make a nice abstract image.<\/p>\nOrientation<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/p>\nPoint of View<\/h3>\n
<\/a>We see the world from eye height \u2013 our eye height.\u00a0 And that\u2019s the way we expect the world to be.\u00a0 But if we do a simple thing like getting down on the ground or climbing on top of a picnic table (without stepping in the potato salad of course), the world changes and becomes fresh and new.<\/p>\nA Challenge for You<\/h3>\n