Composition

There are a number of ways to take better pictures. However, in the world of photography, rules are meant to be broken. There is no such thing as a photographer's limit when it comes to their creative skills and aesthetic preferences. Nonetheless, learning the rules and aspects of photographic composition represents a terrific starting point in the creation process and forces the creator of the work of art to examine his subject in detail.

What Is Composition?

Composition is simply defined as the organization of space. Just as musicians compose symphonies and interior designers arrange furnishings to please the senses, photographers compose pictures so that all of the visual elements of the image relate to each other in a harmonious fashion. In portraiture it is the photographer's responsibility to organize the visual elements of the image such that the primary subject (normally the face) is the most dominant and visible feature. In a group photograph skill is required to ensure that equal emphasis is placed on each subject so that one individual does not dominate the portrait.

Sometimes a secondary point of interest (a prop, tool, toy, etc.) is an important element of the composition. These elements should be placed in a manner that relates it to the primary subject, but be subordinate to it. Primary and secondary elements of composition are arranged so that their relationship is naturally pleasing to the eye. Subject placement should not be arbitrarily made, but instead made so that its location relative to the sides and vertices of the frame provides a natural and pleasant means of viewing it. Determining that placement is based on a proportion that is inherent in nature itself, and one that would be universally recognized by any intelligent culture.

The ancient Greek civilization studied shapes, patterns, and proportions that existed in the natural world around them and found that, from among them all, that the Golden Proportion was the most simple, beautiful, and perplexing of all. Found naturally in plant and animal form it led the Greeks to theorize that the same natural beauty existent in nature should be utilized in man made creations (art, architecture, music, etc.) if they, too, were to be thought of as beautiful.

Rule Of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is simply a generalization of the techniques used to locate saddle points within the photograph. Imagine dividing the interior of the camera's viewfinder into a Tic-Tac-Toe grid. The four points of intersection within the grid, called "saddle points", indicate the best possibilities for subject placement that produces the most interesting and dynamic composition. It pleases us as viewers in an abstract sense because it forces us to recognize the "Golden Proportion" within the framework of the rectangle.

In fact there are 4 such "saddle points" available within the rectangle. Either one of these may be utilized as the location of the primary subject. Any secondary elements of the image should be placed at another saddle point or on a diagonal line that exists between saddle points. Before you take the shot, consider how you want to divide your picture area into three sections both horizontally and vertically. The intersections of these imagined lines suggest four options for placing the focal point in a good composition. The option you pick is determined by the subject and how you wish to display it.

Subject In The Center

The center of interest in an image is not in the center because placement of the subject there forces our eye to view it in an unnatural and uncomfortable manner. Note in the following illustration how the Golden Proportion is not utilized when the subject is in the center. The triangles formed within the rectangle are disproportionate to one another.

The center is generally not the best place to put the subject because it can make the image feel static and uninteresting. The eye naturally wants to explore the rest of the image, but when the subject is in the center, it can be difficult for the eye to know where to go. If you're just starting out in photography, or if you're trying to break out of your comfort zone, it can be helpful to purposely put the subject in the center of the frame and see how it feels. Once you've done that a few times, you'll start to get a feel for what works and what doesn't.

The most common and pleasing way to place the subject is off-center, using one of the "saddle points" as a guide. This creates a more dynamic composition and allows the eye to wander around the rest of the image. When placing the subject off-center, it's important to make sure that there's enough space in the frame so that the subject doesn't feel cramped. You don't want to put the subject so close to the edge that it feels like it's about to fall out of the frame.

The same rules of composition apply to rectangles other than the golden rectangle. Even though 5x7 and 8x10 photographs are disproportionate to each other the viewer's eye can be pleased if the subject is placed so that the interior of the image is divided into similar triangles. Look at the 5x7 and 8x10 representations, as well as the 11x14, that follow and notice how saddle points are determined in the same fashion.

It's a simple process that clearly indicates how to make proper subject placement. By thinking abstractly and drawing logical conclusions we are now able to relate this information to practical composition in portraiture. Each of the portraits that follow has a single individual as the subject. Notice that, whether vertical or horizontal, each image is composed so that the subject placement coincides with a saddle point.

This results in a pleasing and dynamic composition.

When to break rules? Once you understand the Rules of Thirds, you may find that you want to break them from time to time. That's perfectly fine! The most important thing is that you understand why the rules exist in the first place, so that you can make a conscious decision to break them when it suits your needs.