{"id":3098,"date":"2013-12-07T10:11:00","date_gmt":"2013-12-07T18:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/?p=3098"},"modified":"2013-12-08T09:52:04","modified_gmt":"2013-12-08T17:52:04","slug":"mastering-composition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/2013\/12\/07\/mastering-composition\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering Composition – What?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Composition is one of the four pillars of a strong landscape photograph (See Making a Photograph – The Four Pillars<\/a>).\u00a0 There are many approaches to mastering composition and certainly countless excellent books on the topic.\u00a0 Many books discuss the elements of design and how they relate to composition \u2013 line, shape, form, texture, pattern and color.\u00a0 Others go into the various rules of composition \u2013 rule of thirds, golden rule, leading lines, near \/ far, layers, frames, etc.<\/p>\n

All of these rules or principles are very analytical and, I think, are necessary and useful building blocks.\u00a0 Often creating a strong composition is very much of a problem-solving endeavor.\u00a0 But in the end I believe the goal of the composition is to support what the artist wants to communicate through the image.\u00a0 And this comes more from compositions that just feel right, not ones that are mechanically created from the rules.\u00a0 That\u2019s not to say that one is not aware of these principles as the composition is being worked out.\u00a0 Rather these principles are like words in a sentence.\u00a0 They are carefully chosen so that the sentence as a whole communicates the author\u2019s message.\u00a0 There are several techniques that lead us to this goal.\u00a0 And one of them is to ask yourself, \u2018’\u201dWhat am I photographing?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat am I photographing?\u201d\u00a0 It sounds like a simple enough question.\u00a0 But often times in photography workshops when I ask this question I get some interesting answers.\u00a0 One answer is to point to a small element within the photograph and say something like, \u201cI really like the waterfall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"salmon_falls_131105\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The photograph above is of Salmon Falls along the Big Sur Coast in California.\u00a0 But can the viewer tell this photograph is about the waterfall?\u00a0 That\u2019s the important question, \u201cWhat does the viewer think I photographed?\u201d\u00a0 Our ultimate goal is for the viewer to get what it is we\u2019re trying to say.\u00a0 And to do that we compose the image so that it guides the viewer\u2019s eye to the primary element of the composition.\u00a0 In looking at the photograph above you might ask, \u201cWhat waterfall?\u201d\u00a0 Yes, and that\u2019s the point.\u00a0 Technically, the composition is not a bad one.\u00a0 The Rule of Thirds has been followed.\u00a0 The waterfall is framed between two trees.\u00a0 There is a near \/ far aspect that draws you in and creates a sense of depth.\u00a0 And there\u2019s a nice diagonal leading line coming out of the lower left hand corner that helps to draw the viewer\u2019s eye into the frame.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not at all clear that this image is about the waterfall. The waterfall is a very insignificant element because of its small size relative to the whole image.\u00a0 And it doesn\u2019t help that the waterfall has a blue hue which in one sense helps to make it recede giving the image depth, but it doesn\u2019t call attention to itself at all.\u00a0 Also, the poison oak bush in the lower right is demanding attention with its vibrant warm colors that attract the viewer\u2019s eye.\u00a0 But its placement in the lower right corner makes it easy for the viewer to stop there and then exit the frame.<\/p>\n

So if my intent was to make a statement about the waterfall (which it was), this image does not work.<\/p>\n

Now take this photograph of the same falls taken during a different workshop.<\/p>\n

\"salmon_falls_summer_2011\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The waterfall is framed by the warm rocks on the bottom and the sunlit foliage above.\u00a0 Both of these elements have warm hues that advance from the frame giving a sense of depth, especially when contrasted with the cool hues of the waterfall.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter that the waterfall is not displayed in its entirety.\u00a0 In fact, just showing a portion of it communicates a sense of discovery and mystery.\u00a0 But there\u2019s no question this photograph is about the waterfall.\u00a0 It\u2019s not about the rocks, it\u2019s not about the trees as interesting as they may be.\u00a0 It\u2019s about the waterfall and that is communicated very clearly.<\/p>\n

Isolate and Simplify<\/h2>\n

How is this achieved?\u00a0 There is a very important compositional principle at work here; namely, \u2018isolate and simplify\u2019<\/strong>.\u00a0 There is a single primary element or subject in this image \u2013 the waterfall.\u00a0 All the other elements, the rocks and foliage,\u00a0 play very important supporting roles because they make the whole composition work and convey the sense of discovery and mystery that I wanted to communicate.\u00a0 But because the waterfall fills a large portion of the image and because the supporting elements set it off, it\u2019s clear to the viewer that this is the subject.<\/p>\n

Back to \u2018isolate and simplify.\u2019\u00a0 The waterfall is isolated because, unlike the first example, it occupies a significant portion of the frame (\u201cfill the frame\u201d).\u00a0 I didn\u2019t attempt to include more of its surroundings because they wouldn\u2019t have added anything and the significance of the waterfall would be lost amid the clutter.\u00a0 Rather, the goal was to isolate<\/strong> the waterfall from its surroundings. The rest of the elements that were included play supporting roles and work to strengthen the overall composition.<\/p>\n

Sometimes images also have a secondary element which supports the primary element.\u00a0 An example of a strong primary element with an important if not essential secondary element can be seen in this photograph also taken at Salmon Creek.<\/p>\n

\"salmon_creek_2011\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The primary element is obviously the tree with its magnificent gnarled roots.\u00a0 Its texture, warn colors and fascinating roots make it stand out.\u00a0 The little cascade of water is an important secondary element because it balances the tree both spatially and with it\u2019s contrasting color.\u00a0 It also provides a symbolic context for the tree in that it is the life-giving water that makes it possible for the tree to survive.<\/p>\n

But you generally don\u2019t want more than two strong elements and of those two one is the primary and the other is the secondary.\u00a0 All other elements support the composition.\u00a0 Another response I sometimes get on workshops when I ask, \u201cWhat are you photographing?\u201d\u00a0 is something like, \u201cI really like this and this and this and this and\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 My response to them is, \u201cChoose two.\u00a0 You only get to include two.\u201d\u00a0 When you have more than two strong elements the image looses focus and the viewer doesn\u2019t know what to pay attention to.\u00a0 When you simplify<\/strong> the image to include at most two strong elements and all the others take on supporting roles the composition becomes stronger.\u00a0 Now the viewer is not confused and knows exactly what the photograph is about.<\/p>\n

So when you\u2019re in the field and feel inspired by what lays before you, ask yourself, \u201cWhat am I photographing?\u201d\u00a0 When you identify the primary element find a viewpoint that <\/em>isolates your subject and simplifies<\/strong> your composition<\/strong> so that the viewer knows exactly what your subject is.\u00a0 This is a first step in making photographs that communicate the excitement and inspiration you feel.<\/p>\n

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You are invited to add a comment and share your experiences.\u00a0 We always enjoy hearing from you.\u00a0 And please feel free to share it on Facebook, Twitter and any other social sites or email it to your photographer friends.<\/p>\n

We do photography workshops.\u00a0 Come on out and join us.\u00a0 Click here to check us out.<\/a><\/p>\n

You can also check out our photography.\u00a0 Click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

(1731)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Asking yourself, ‘What am I photographing?’ can lead to stronger images that communicate the excitement and inspiration you feel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[293],"tags":[485,300,509,1059,128,126,475,1223,1225,365,1229,57,1228,1110,1227,983,26,13,482,781,1224,1230,1226,474,148,93],"class_list":["post-3098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-composition-how-to-articles","tag-balance","tag-big-sur","tag-blue","tag-coast","tag-color","tag-composition","tag-cool","tag-design","tag-form","tag-hue","tag-isolate","tag-landscape","tag-leading-line","tag-line","tag-pacific","tag-pattern","tag-photograph","tag-photography","tag-rule-of-thirds","tag-salmon-falls","tag-shape","tag-simplify","tag-texture","tag-warm","tag-waterfall","tag-workshop"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9Nl7-NY","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3098"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3100,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3098\/revisions\/3100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ralphnordstromphotography.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}