Activity2: Composition

This is what being a photographer is all about. It will separate you from the people who have cameras and take pictures. You will create Photographs. This is really Art. If any of you have an art background you know how much emphasis is put on composition. You are free as an artist to do what you want to…But we can not avoid the fact that most people will find you art work more appealing if you follow some guidelines. My hope is for you to very quickly start so see a difference in your photos. The sooner you see a big improvement the more motivated you will be. That’s what did it for me. You can make big strides with little effort in the beginning. None of this is really hard it just takes some time to train your mind to see the world differently, so don’t get frustrated. You will start to see the world differently.

1. The first step is to read Ken’s articles on what makes a good photo and why your equipment doesn’t matter. The link is on the right under links, titled Great Photographs. I think he takes a lot of stress away and gives some great advice.
2. Look through the photos you already have for this one. Try to find a photo that you have the subject in the dead center of the photo or one that you like the subject but not the picture. It will work best if you have a bit of background around the subject. Open the photo in a photo-editing program and start to crop it. Mostly keep the rule of thirds in mind and try to crop out anything in the background that is distracting. Also if your subject is facing or moving to the right or left give them “room” in the photo to look or move in that direction. These couple of thing will make a world of difference in the way your photos feel. Play with the cropping of several photos and show us the before and after of your favorites.
3. Things to take away from this activity:
1. As you crop you get closer to your subject. Learn to zoom in on the subject and keep backgrounds simple.
2. Rarely does the dead center of a picture a good place to put the main point of attention.
3. Give some “room” in the picture for the direction of movement or the direction a person is facing or looking.
4. As you see what looks good after cropping you pictures start to crop this way as you shoot.

There is a lot of advice on the Internet on composition so read a little if you get stuck or confused. You can also look at pictures in magazines and take note of the composition of them.