One of the quickest ways to make your photography more interesting is to shift your viewfinder. Framing is often the difference between a mediocre photo and a great one.
Let's start with the basics: how often have you taken a picture, only to think, "I wish that random branch wasn't there" or "That person looks odd with the top of their head cropped off"?
When composing your shot, pay attention to the margins. Be careful not to cut off the tops of trees or branches to make it look like a random leaf is coming out of nowhere. Watch your zoom, as while going in close may call attention to a particular object or person, it may also give your shot a strange, disembodied look.
On the next level, think about the overall composition of your shot. Many digital cameras will have a display setting that divides your display into a nine-box grid. This isn't just to help you line up a perfectly straight horizon (although it is very useful for that!); this is echoing a larger concept: the rule of thirds.
When you think in thirds, you introduce elements of asymmetry into your shots. By shifting your focus and your subject away from dead center, you take an otherwise static picture and give it spark.
Sometimes symmetry works in your favor, particularly when the landscaping is designed to enhance it around a building, a landmark, or other feature. Of course, you can also introduce some elements of asymmetry into the surrounding areas, just to keep things interesting.
Along the same lines, when thinking in thirds, don't give up on halves. Adjusting the framing of a shot to run diagonally rather than vertically or horizontally can provide that interesting element to the picture.
Shifting your subject can also introduce movement into your picture. A friend of mine spent a semester conducting research in New Orleans; among great shots of Jackson Square during a rare snow, she captured a great picture of the trolley. With the car off to the left, the tracks traveled to the right, beckoning your eye to follow their path, as if the trolley would start moving if you looked at it long enough. You can also take advantage of the various aperture settings on your camera to leverage your surroundings - take the overall composition of Lower Manhattan glowing in the background and add in the cars crossing the Brooklyn Bridge to create a shot that incorporates all of these elements:
 |
| A rogue branch can ruin a great shot |
When composing your shot, pay attention to the margins. Be careful not to cut off the tops of trees or branches to make it look like a random leaf is coming out of nowhere. Watch your zoom, as while going in close may call attention to a particular object or person, it may also give your shot a strange, disembodied look.
On the next level, think about the overall composition of your shot. Many digital cameras will have a display setting that divides your display into a nine-box grid. This isn't just to help you line up a perfectly straight horizon (although it is very useful for that!); this is echoing a larger concept: the rule of thirds.
 |
| Old Well; UNC-Chapel Hill |
 |
| McCorkle Place & Old Well; UNC-Chapel Hill |
 |
| Old Capitol; University of Iowa |
Shifting your subject can also introduce movement into your picture. A friend of mine spent a semester conducting research in New Orleans; among great shots of Jackson Square during a rare snow, she captured a great picture of the trolley. With the car off to the left, the tracks traveled to the right, beckoning your eye to follow their path, as if the trolley would start moving if you looked at it long enough. You can also take advantage of the various aperture settings on your camera to leverage your surroundings - take the overall composition of Lower Manhattan glowing in the background and add in the cars crossing the Brooklyn Bridge to create a shot that incorporates all of these elements:
 |
| Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge |
No comments:
Post a Comment