There are as many ways to take photos as there
are photographers. However, one concept affects all photos:
composition. Because, for an image to be successful and
meaningful, it needs to be composed correctly. Should the
subject be poorly positioned in the frame, it may go unnoticed,
or the meaning of the photograph may come across incorrectly.
Without getting into the many fine points of composition, there are a
few basic rules that should be applied; even though, as every one knows, "rules
are made to be broken"... By the same token, the rules do need to
be known before they can be broken.
For many centuries now, first architects, then painters
of the Renaissance, and much later—during the middle
of the 19th century—photographers, have used a grid
based on the Golden Rule, to guide them in the composition
of their images.
The golden rule establishes an ideal ratio between height and
width. These proportions are derived from the field of view of the human
eye, and are used, often with slight variations, throughout a large number
of commonly used objects . Examples can be found in architecture, in
the shape of doors and windows, to more mundane items such as picture
frames and sheets of paper.
More or less, the ratio corresponds to 2/3 x 1/3;
and this is a ratio that can be recognized in the size
of most film frames and, today, in the image sizes of digital
cameras.
Within that frame, another rule
is used: the rule of thirds. It is used to determine
precise areas where the important parts of the image should
be placed. The same principle is used to determine the position
of the horizon and the proportion of ground to sky.
When first looking at an image, the eye of the viewer rarely settles at
the centre of the image, but instead follows an approximate "Z" pattern
(top left to right, then to the lower left and right again). This pattern
is most unconscious but has been well-documented. It is probably associated
with the western reading pattern.
From the photographer's point of view, the goal then becomes to guide
the gaze of the viewer to the subject, while being aware of the way
most people look at an image.
Similarly, compositions containing diagonals can
also be based on the golden rule and the rule of thirds,
so that the resulting image is balanced.
All these rules can be circumvented intentionally, as they have been by
many well-established artists, but they offer an important starting point
for any composition.
Particular care must also be used in portraits so that the gaze of the
subject is not too close to the edge of the frame.
Note the direction of the gaze of the model in this famous
painting at right, and the space which it is given. Also
notable is the diagonal composition of the painting.
Johannes Vermeer
1632-1675
The lace maker.
Yet, this composition method
does have some limitations. When a wide angle lens is used,
particular care must be given to framing and composition
since this type of lens can easily cause curvature in
the straight lines placed near the edges of the image frame.
This is why it is generally advisable to place the horizon
near the horizontal centre of the frame, so as to avoid a
curvature, which in turn would detract from the wide field
of view presented in the photo.
The same care must be taken with vertical
lines in architecture-type photos, since they too can become
odd-looking curves that deform the shape of the building
and ruin the composition. Digital camera zoom lenses are
particularly prone to these distortions since they are usually
equipped with optics that are very hard to correct totally,
and will often have barrel distortion in wide angle
and pincushionning at the telephoto end.
So, while immediacy is at the heart of photography, a close look at the
great photos of the past, those that are remembered, will usually reveal
a flawless composition.
Therefore, it is worthwhile to take a little time, if possible, before
pressing the shutter release. A walk around the subject to find the best
angle, selecting which element should be where in the frame, and visualizing
the final image in the mind's eye, will greatly improve most photos. This
way, a better chance will be had to capture that special something that
triggered the desire to take the photo.
