Top 10 Composition Tips in Photography |  |
- Top 10 Composition Tips in Photography
- Simple, Portable Lighting Setups for Remote Photography Locations (Video)
- Trash the Dress Wedding Photo Idea Almost Gone Very Wrong (Video)
| Top 10 Composition Tips in Photography Posted: 15 Jul 2013 04:27 PM PDT Photography is all about composition. If you can't compose an image you can't take photos. That's the bottom line. This is where your photography journey starts as a beginner. Learning to place the elements in the photo is natural for some but for the rest of us we have to learn.  “light” captured by Federico (Click Image to See More From Federico) So what is composition? The dictionary definition defines it as "the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole". What you are looking to do in composing an image is to take the important parts of the scene and combine them in such a way, so as to create a photo very pleasing to the eye. This is all well and good, but, how can we do this most effectively? Here are my top ten tips. 1. Clearly identify your subjectThis is the non-negotiable of photography. Unless your subject is the focal point of the image you don't have a photo. When looking at the image a person should be able to clearly identify the subject. So make sure you give enough attention to the object of your focus. 2. Fill your frameOne of the most common mistakes made by budding photographers is that they do not fill the frame with their subject or the major elements of the image. Get in closer and exclude the parts that you don't want. Open space serves no purpose when the subject is too small or cannot be identified. 3. Horizontal vs verticalCamera manufacturers are to blame for this dilemma because all cameras are designed to be held in a horizontal format. It shouldn't be an 'either or' situation but rather a 'both and'. Try to shoot 50% of the time in both formats. There is no rule which is best and the key is to experiment. 4. Dramatic anglesShoot from high up or low down. Use your feet and move around the subject looking for an optimum angle. Don't be afraid to get down on your stomach or climb a tree. Look for different and dramatic angles that will make your images more striking.  “City by the Bay” captured by Mark Feliciano (Click Image to See More From Mark Feliciano) 5. Don't amputateThis means that you shouldn't cut off part of your subject unless it is intentional to create an effect. Missing parts of people or objects irritate the viewer and create an incomplete image. It distracts the eye. So watch the edges of your image. 6. The rule of thirdsImagine a tic tac toe grid or noughts and crosses lines running across your image dividing it into thirds horizontally and vertically. Where the lines cross or intersect are the best placement points for your subjects or objects. Never place the horizon of a landscape image in the centre of your image. Always place it on a horizontal two thirds line. Subjects like lighthouses would be placed along one of the vertical two thirds lines. 7. Look for framesThese come in two types, natural or man-made. Natural would be an opening in trees or a rock formation with a hole in it. Man-made frames are doorways, windows or arches. All of these help contain the subject or scene in a form that is very pleasing to the eye. 8. SimplifyTrying to include too much in an image often spoils it. An image that is cluttered causes the eye of the viewer to dart around the image trying to make sense of it. Less is more as the old adage goes. Eliminate anything that would distract the eye or is unnecessary to the memory you are attempting to create.  “A Simple Scene” captured by Bob G (Click Image to See More From Bob G) 9. Watch your backgroundMake sure that there is nothing there that would detract from your subject. Things like chimneys growing out of heads and other subjects diverting the eye from the main subject. You want balance by not going in too close but including enough of the environment of the subject or object to contextualise it. 10. Lines, patterns and shapesLook for interesting patterns, lines and shapes. Lines lead the eye to focal points. A river, road, fence or path in a classic 's' shape draws the eye along the route into your image. Strong verticals give height to your image and diagonals add depth. Turn your viewfinder allowing straight lines to travel from corner to corner in the image. Key to great composing is thought. Think before your press the shutter button and consider all of these points. Create a mental check list to help you add these elements and create that great composition. About the Author: Go to full article: Top 10 Composition Tips in Photography |
| Simple, Portable Lighting Setups for Remote Photography Locations (Video) Posted: 15 Jul 2013 02:21 PM PDT Photography clients don’t always have the time or budget to accommodate elaborate photo shoot setups, and some locations make using heavy equipment infeasible. However, dramatic, high-quality images can be made with portable, inexpensive equipment. Master photographers are able to use this simple, mobile photography gear to make it seem as if they’ve hauled expensive studio lights to a remote setting. In this video, Joe McNally explains the minimalistic lighting setup he used to photograph performance artist Deidre Dean in a burnt out New Mexico forest: McNally’s lighting diagram simplifies his setup. He used a 14-24mm zoom lens, a Speedlight Commander, and three speedlights shot through a Lastolite 8-in-1 Umbrella with its covers removed. Shooting three strobes through the umbrella resulted in faster recycling time and more power to simulate a larger light source. The secret tool utilized during this photo shoot can be purchased in a hardware store: a Shur-Line extendable paint pole. Using a paint pole in combination with a Kacey Pole Adapter allowed McNally to mount a triflash and have an assistant position the main light as high as necessary to create an impressive photograph.
Creativity with tools that aren’t necessarily designed with photography in mind saves money while allowing portability. Being able to light a scene well even in hard-to-reach locations can make any photographer stand out from the competition. Go to full article: Simple, Portable Lighting Setups for Remote Photography Locations (Video) |
| Trash the Dress Wedding Photo Idea Almost Gone Very Wrong (Video) Posted: 15 Jul 2013 11:17 AM PDT Weddings call for many traditions, some expected and some very unusual. Take into account the different cultural backgrounds and the wedding ceremony gets even longer. The Trash the Dress tradition is one that takes place not on the day of the wedding itself, but on a separate occasion. It is a style of wedding photography that involves contrasting the elegant wedding gowns with a harsher background. Such photoshoots take place on rooftops, city streets, garages, fields, beaches and abandoned buildings. The term, "Trash the Dress" comes from the assumption that the bride may very well ruin the dress by getting it dirty, wet, ripped, or in this case, burnt: No, the photo is not Photoshopped. The flames are real and are licking its way up the dress. Just before the fire reaches the bride, she runs toward the ocean to put out the flames and the photo assistant is left to douse whatever propellant is left on the beach with a fire extinguisher. All this in a matter of seconds. Captured by White Studio Photography (Via Petapixel). Trash the Dress gone too far? Perhaps, but there's no denying that it resulted in a cool photo. Go to full article: Trash the Dress Wedding Photo Idea Almost Gone Very Wrong (Video) |
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