Composition Do Now: Prepare for quick discussion: What does this mean? Why is it important? What do you already know about it?

Composition defined: Composition refers to not just visual arts, but also writing, music, dance, and essentially ALL other forms of art. Composition refers to the placement/arrangement of objects and/or elements in a work of art. In some cases, the word “composition” is also used to refer to a work of art, “This composition has ….” A good composition is one that has just enough detail. Too few elements is bad because it robs the work of art of necessary detail that makes correct interpretation possible. It also ruins the balance of an image. And too many elements can be very distracting as well. Good composition requires good balance. It is best to make sure all the elements present are necessary for the idea or story you are trying to pass on.

Composition in Photography In photography, composition refers to arranging elements within your photo in a way that suits the core idea or goal of your work best. In most cases, you can physically move the objects/elements in your photo until the suit your goals/ideas. In some cases, such as street photography, the photographer cannot move elements and must instead move themselves. Composition is a way of guiding the viewer’s eye towards the most important elements of your work, sometimes – in a very specific order. A good composition can help make a masterpiece even out of the dullest objects and subjects in the plainest of environments. On the other hand, a bad composition can ruin a photograph completely, despite how interesting the subject may be.

Composition Pointers

Compositional Techniques Rule of Thirds Cropping Balancing Elements Experimentation Leading Lines Triangular Composition Symmetry & Patterns Fibonacci Spiral Viewpoint Depth Background Framing Depth of Field (High & Low) – Divide the image into a tic-tac-toe board. Put the important components of the image on the intersection of these lines. - The culling out of elements that are contrary or distracting to the image - Symmetrical or asymmetrical balance used to create a solid effect or more dynamic image - Visually playing with the components of the image to create an innovative photograph - Real or imaginary lines that lead the viewers eye around the photograph - Creating a triangle from three elements in the composition that have a heavy or light attitude. - Repetition of shapes or textures in the image to create a calming effect for the photograph. - Composing using the golden mean and the spiral to place the important idea on the center point of the spiral - Changing the vantage point from worm’s eye or bird’s eye view to find a new perspective on the subject - The use of interlocking object to create the illusion of depth like forced perspective and scale relationships of the objects. - The consideration of the figure-ground relationship to advance or recede the subject - The use of structures to limit the view and accentuate the subject of the photograph - Selective focusing using F/stops to limit what is in focus : lower = less, higher = more

Your Tasks: A) Shoot 39 images, 3 of each of our 13 compositional rules. B) Take at least THREE photos of the same idea/subject using different compositional rules. Come up with a unique idea for a photograph. Sketch out 5+ ideas for photographing this subject- show different compositions. Once your planning is complete, make arrangements for shooting the photographs- what do you need? Photographs will be taken next class and DUE the due date evening by midnight (all editing must be complete, images must be shared on google drive by this time.)