AYWMC: Part 2 Lesson 1: Composition Elements

 This post is part of a series entitled A Year With My Camera.

 

We're out of the technical lessons and on to the fun stuff! 

 

Lesson 2.1 in my own words

• Good composition is a balance of 3 key elements:
• Foreground - traditionally a small element that leads the viewer into the image
• Background - offers context and contrast but doesn't distract
• Subject - best to stick with just one subject
• Whole frame
• Choose the composition in the frame then step back and take in the entire image
• Check for balance
• What path with the viewer's eye take into the photograph?
• Use viewpoint to change the balance of the elements
• Move the camera or yourself to change your point of view.
• Visualize what you want and think how to get it

This Week's Project

Use the same subject and take 5 different photographs by changing only viewpoint. 

1. Mostly subject 
2. No foreground at all 
3. Mostly foreground 
4. Mostly background 
5. A pleasing balance between all three

Mostly subject

No foreground

Mostly foreground

Mostly background

A pleasing balance of all three. (I hope).

What I learned

I've had a lot of art classes, so the information about composition was pretty familiar. For photographs, I'm always aware of background clutter (the cutest baby pictures aren't so cute when there's a mess everywhere else!), but for composition, I've always relied on my crop tool in Gimp. I didn't do that this time but worked with point of view to compose with just the camera.