Photography Tips Part I: Composition
This is the first of a series of posts I’m going to do about photography. I’m going to approach this as if I’m speaking to novices with no knowledge beyond pointing and shooting an automatic camera. I’ll start off talking about framing/composition, and eventually get more technical in later posts.
Part 1: Composition
Tip 1: Rule of Thirds
Composition refers to how you frame the subject of your photograph. The general rule that’s used is called the rule of thirds. This means rather than centering the subject of your photograph, you want to divide your picture up into thirds, and have your subject somewhere along those lines. Many digital cameras have rule-of-third guidelines you can turn on and off. They look like a tic tac toe board:
If your camera has those lines, they aren’t there for you to be sure you’ve got your subject centered. They are there to help you get your subject off-center.
Here’s a picture of a bird at a fountain:
I swear he stood there posing for me for quite awhile. Yet somehow, I only managed to snap him dead center in the frame. It may have had to do with the sun glaring in my eyes and I couldn’t see very well, I don’t remember. Here’s the same photo, cropped so that the bird is off center, following the rule of thirds:
See how much more interesting it is?
Above is my daughter when she was small. (Don’t ask me what she’s doing with the pan lids, my kids have always been weird.) See on the right, how her face is smack dab in the top left intersection of the lines? That’s the sort of thing you’re going for.
So, what if your camera will only focus on what’s in the center of the frame? Most cameras actually allow you to focus on something when you push down the button halfway, and then hold that focus as long as the button stays semi-depressed. You aim at the subject, get your camera focused by pushing the button down slightly, then reframe your picture until you’ve got an interesting composition and snap it.
Tip 2: Don’t be afraid to crop in close.
Generally, when I’m talking about cropping in close, I’m talking about people. Examples:
Don’t be afraid to crop off foreheads, parts of faces, etc. Experiment. Anyone using a digital camera can afford to take multiple shots of the same subject. Take a bunch and see what you end up liking the best.
Tip 3: Don’t be afraid of leaving a lot of blank space.
This can apply to landscapes, portraits, anything, really.
Tip 4: Leading lines
Leading lines are lines within your composition that draw the eye in a certain direction. Typically, you want any leading lines to lead the viewer’s eye to the main subject of the photograph.
Two rather heavy-handed examples:
Fences and anything with rails are ideal for this.
Slightly more subtle examples:
On the left is some guy at the beach. The tire tracks in the sand point up the picture towards the horizon and where he is sitting.
On the right is the singer of the Nebula, and the lines on his pants lead you up to the curve of his back and his face.
Tip 5: Framing your subject
Usually when I think of “framing” a picture I just think of the general composition. But you can also literally frame your subject within your picture. It can create interest as well as give perspective to a shot.
It can be literal, as with this picture of my husband on the beach, taken from a pier above:
And with this picture of an LDS temple, taken through a nearby fence:
Or it can be something surrounding your subject that when composed properly in the picture becomes a frame around it, like with my husband and the line of the coping at a skate park, or a bird and the pier and its reflection:
Doorways and windows are excellent for framing subjects, especially since they generally have light coming through them.
That’s it for part one. Future installments will include things like depth of field/aperature settings, shutter speed, film speed, taking action shots, working in low light conditions, what those settings on your camera besides “auto” mean, using white balance, macro, all kinds of good stuff. I expect a lot of these subjects will overlap, ie, you’ll be hearing more about composition as I go along, I’m sure. If you have anything you’d like to see addressed just let me know—like the disclaimer says below, I’m no pro, but I am obsessed.
Disclaimer: I’m not a professional photographer, purely an amateur. Besides some classes in high school, everything I know has been self-taught, and believe me when I say there are plenty of websites out there with all kinds of information and tutorials if you’re interested, the best of which that I’ve found is www.photo.net.
Susan, any advice on properly framing/composing the shot when it’s an action shot or a moving target? I find that when I try to snag a shot of the kids, getting it in the field at all is lucky.
Comment by Supergenius — April 7, 2008 @ 10:38 am
I’ll cover action photos later, but one tip is to focus and aim somewhere you know your target is headed before they get there, and just wait for them to come into frame.
Comment by Susan M — April 7, 2008 @ 10:40 am
even though I’ve read all these rules before, seeing the examples is very useful. Not that I’ll ever be any good. Especially with my crappy little cameras. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is better to take lots of photos with a so-so camera than to have a great camera that I never get out.
Comment by a random John — April 7, 2008 @ 10:45 am
I’m in the market for a new camera – any recommendations?
Comment by Abby — April 7, 2008 @ 10:52 am
John, I use all kinds of crappy little (film) cameras. I enjoy lofi photography a lot. You can get interesting shots even with a cell phone camera. (Or some people can. I’ve seen proof on flickr.com.)
Abby, I’m not a gear expert, but I can try to point you somewhere. It helps to know what level you’re at and what you intend to use it for, though. And price range.
Comment by Susan M — April 7, 2008 @ 10:59 am
I’m a beginner, but learn quickly. My budget is between $750-1000. I want to be able to take amazing shots of my children and various activities.
Comment by Abby — April 7, 2008 @ 11:46 am
Wow, Susan, way to put the Kultur in Kulturblog!
Fascinating stuff! I may have to figure out how to use my wife’s old digital camera and try some of this stuff out.
When I was in high school, I took lots of pictures (not very well, I might add) I’m pretty sure if I were taking them now at the same level I was then, I’d have a hard drive full of cat pictures. =)
Comment by FHL — April 7, 2008 @ 11:49 am
Abby, for that price range go with the basic DSLR kits. Canon’s Rebel XTI looks really good, and it’s at the low end of the price range. We were looking at this one.
Comment by Supergenius — April 7, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
What Steve said.
Anyone with opinions should weigh in, though. I’ve never actually used a Canon Rebel.
Comment by Susan M — April 7, 2008 @ 12:22 pm
First, thank you, Susan, for the insights. As ARJ said, it’s nice to see the rules accompanied by meaningful examples. I look forward to future installments.
Second, I would recommend the Rebel XTi to just about anyone who wants to shoot photos. My wife and I bought one 18 months ago and we have both been extremely happy with the choice. I would recommend buying a telephoto lens (e.g., 75-300mm) along with the basic kit. I would also recommend purchasing a pocket-size point and shoot (e.g., Canon SD1000) because there will be many times when lugging around the DSLR just isn’t possible.
Comment by mapinguari — April 7, 2008 @ 12:46 pm
The Canon Rebel is fine. I prefer the Nikon D series, though. The D-80 in particular. But you can’t go wrong with either.
And mapinguari is right — if you need a pocket-size, you can’t go wrong with the SD1000.
Comment by William Morris — April 7, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
We were recently faced with this choice, and opted against the DSLR. Not that we don’t want good pictures — we do — but I am becoming increasingly convinced that the best camera is the one you have with you for the shot. So, instead of the SLR we went with a pocket size — the Casio ex-s10. It’s incredibly tiny, but shoots great and records decent video.
I feel sad about the lack of control, but really I have my hands too full to lug a big camera around for now.
Comment by Supergenius — April 7, 2008 @ 1:09 pm
My brother gets some great shots with an SD1000. Better than what I could get with an SLR.
Comment by William Morris — April 7, 2008 @ 1:19 pm
William – what is it about the Nikon D-80 you like?
I’ve been looking at both the Canon 40D and Nikon D-80 – but can’t seem to make up my mind.
Comment by Abby — April 7, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
I haven’t used the newest models of either so you should take this all with a grain of salt — there are camera review sites out there who can break down both in extreme detail.
But…
The Nikon seemed to get richer color, do better in low light and take better action shots. And it’s UI — screens, dials, buttons — was easier for me personally to use than the Canon’s. It also seemed just a touch more faster. But shutter speeds change with every new version of the model so the best thing would be to actually try both and see which one you respond to better.
Comment by William Morris — April 7, 2008 @ 1:58 pm
I’ve tried older versions of both. Thanks everyone for your information. Hoping to buy a camera by the end of the week.
Comment by Abby — April 7, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
I dunno, from what I have seen more people tend to prefer the Canon. I have also heard better things about the lenses and add-ons for the Canon. Honestly, though, if you’re shooting in RAW format and have access to Photoshop (or GIMP), then either camera will work well. My advice is to buy both from Costco, then return the one you don’t like.
Comment by Supergenius — April 7, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
The impression I have is that the Canon is more popular. I’ve only used a Canon 30D once and didn’t really like the interface. But if I were buying a DSLR I’d buy a Canon.
Comment by Susan M — April 7, 2008 @ 2:48 pm
SG – I like your thinking!
Comment by Abby — April 7, 2008 @ 3:15 pm
I bought the Nikon, and I adored it, but TWO days after my year was up, the focus broke. TWO DAYS. The camera shop told me I had to send it back to Nikon to get it fixed, and the cost of fixing it was more than just buying a new one. Grrrrr.
By the way, awesome post Susan. I love love love your photographs.
Comment by tracy m — April 8, 2008 @ 9:31 am
I am no expert, but the new Nikon DSLRs have been getting rave reviews. They are a real leap forward in terms of low light sensitivity. I would study up on the most recent models. If shooting in crappy light is important to you then right now Nikon might be your best bet.
If you really get into photography you’ll end up spending more on lenses than on the camera itself, and this tends to lock people into a particular brand of camera since you can use your old Nikon lenses with a new Nikon camera but not with a Canon camera and vice versa.
Personally I’ve always bought Canons simply because several years ago when I was writing automated camera control software Canon was the one camera maker that provided an API for controlling their cameras over USB.
Comment by a random John — April 8, 2008 @ 9:51 am
Wow Susan, this is a great post!
You take something that you do so well and that can seem quite daunting and make it accessible to the rest of us. These are some great tips and I plan to get to using them soon!!
Comment by mo mommy — April 9, 2008 @ 9:26 am
[...] To read Part I of this series, “Composition,” click here. May 28, 2008 in Photography | [...]
Pingback by Kulturblog » Photography Tips Part II: Aperture and Depth of Field — May 28, 2008 @ 8:04 am
[...] knowledge beyond pointing and shooting an automatic camera. In previous posts, I’ve covered composition and aperture/depth of field. This post is about shutter speed and the cool stuff you can do with [...]
Pingback by Kulturblog » Photography Tips Part III: Cool Stuff w/Shutter Speed — June 24, 2008 @ 1:42 pm