PHOTOGRAPHY We will evaluate these images with respect to three areas: FOCUS Is the subject matter in focus? EXPOSURE Is the photograph properly lit? COMPOSITION Is the subject matter interesting to view? Ignoring these makes you repair images. Being aware of these, as you shoot, creates better pictures and allows you opportunities to improve as you shoot and edit.

Focus When you look at an image the sharpness or fuzziness make a different to the message being received. Which of these 2 images is sharper? Generally blurred images may be caused by not holding your camera properly or setting the controls incorrectly. While this can be repaired it is simpler and faster to shoot for sharpness…..

Exposure The images collected depend on light. Too much light or to little light will remove detail. Correct exposure can focus your viewers attention and connect one part of your image to another… Does the dark background here focus you attention on the brighter areas? Would this be a stronger image if the school was not loosing detail in the shadowed areas? Poor lighting often leads to flat, low contrast images….

COMPOSITION The difference between a snapshot and photograph. The most important part of this course is learning to shoot with a goal in mind. This will guide all decisions for shooting and editing.

Composition defined All photos start with decisions about how you see something.. What do you feel about it? Why is it important? How can you show a particular audience more about your subject? Does each part of your picture tell more about your main subject?

Why do we see things? (6 s’s) We notice things because of their: Size Shape Shadow Surface Spacing Speed

How do you create a pleasing arrangement of subject matter in the picture area? Here is where you draw on ideas from the world of art and design. Start with simplicity… Can shot angle simplify the background? Can stepping forward simplify the foreground? Is the background too cluttered?

Elements of Composition Simplicity Subject placement Balance Lines Perspective Rhythm/Pattern Framing Avoiding Mergers Your choices decide the quality of story you tell.

Simplicity Tell only one story Secret of any good photographs Choose a subject that will lend itself to a simple arrangement Explore all camera angles and look beyond your subject and see what your camera does not see Rotate your camera (framing) to see what it brings into or out of your shot.

Do all parts of the image focus your viewer into a single simple story?

How are you holding your Camera? Pictures of cities, houses, cars, boats, and other similar objects are normally captured as landscape frame…. Pictures of people are almost always more effective when they are taken vertically (portrait). This is assuming they are standing up and not part of a large group. Be willing to try both focusing on your story …. Rule of thumb Remember if your subject is wider than tall, a horizontal format works best.

Subject Placement Two guidelines can determine the ideal location of the center of interest in composition: Rule of Thirds and Dynamic Symmetry Rule of thirds (golden section) Achieve visual balance in a picture Will not work for every picture but for those with a small focal point it makes a difference ( Does the portrait framing allow the lines of the path and pole to add to the picture?)

Subject Placement The Rule of Thirds To create interest place the subject matter in one of the intersection points Divide the photo area into thirds Use the rest of the space to add information about your subject Give moving subjects room to enter the picture. (note: the second person looking at the subject supports your main story.)

Subject Placement Dynamic Symmetry Similar idea to the rule of thirds Diagonal determines points of intersection Place subject matter at the points of intersection Note how the sense of battle is built up here by the placement within the shot….

Note how moving the lighthouse off center lets the sky and quiet sea give a feeling about the main subject. All parts of the image focus on the same subject….

Balance The composition is said to be kept in balance by two methods Formal or symmetrical balance Each side of the photo is equally weighted Informal or asymmetrical balance Each side of the photo is weighted differently

Balance Formal Informal Informal balance can add a dynamic feel or energy to a shot. Each choice of balance can tell a different story about the same subject.

What does the balance add to the story about these two people?

Lines Lines serve three important purposes in composition: They help carry the viewer’s eye through the picture to the focal point They create strong feeling of depth and create the illusion of the third dimension They effectively divide the picture into well defined areas and help concentrate attention on the most important elements

Lines Different lines also create different feelings: Horizontal lines Vertical lines Converging lines Diagonal lines Curves Notice repetition in images as you would in good stories…..

Horizontal lines restful and easy to look at

Vertical Lines powerful because they move upward Draw the eye upward

Diagonal lines Cover the most ground and carry the viewers eye through out the photo. Energy is heightened with diagonals…

Converging lines build a strong impression of depth Work toward Vanishing point where lines may meet…

Curves Can be the longest lines weaving through a picture

Lines can be continuous or broken. Lines that repeat gain strength just as the most important parts of a story are often repeated. A crossing or opposing line, like the sun’s reflected light in this image, provides a contrast to the horizontal and dark lines in the water.

Framing Framing refers to creating a center of interest with objects in the foreground or background The tree in the foreground builds a sense of depth lets you shape the image inside the picture hints to the changes happening to the trees in the mid ground… Using framing can gives a place for your viewer in the picture… cover distractions (things in a picture that take away from your simple story)

Perspective Perspective- the illusion of the third dimension Photographer try to capture the third dimension in a two dimensional format (flat screens or paper….). Common shapes that look larger in front and smaller further back build a sense of depth.

Perspective Perspective can be achieved by using: Repeating or overlapping shapes Lines Balance Tone

Avoid mergers Mergers are unplanned combining of foreground and background Edge mergers are where people or object are cut off by the edge of a picture Near mergers have objects blending together creating distorted shapes Identify the mergers that confuse these stories… Pictures courtesy of Kodak

YOUR TURN! CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE ELEMENTS HIGHLIGHTED IN THESE PHOTOS KEEP A RECORD IN YOUR NOTES

How do lines and texture add to this shot?

What can be done to create a sense of depth in a picture? How does your camera position focus your attention? Can landscapes focus different stories with camera angle?

What effect can lines have to create a sense of calm or energy in a picture?

Why should a photographer step closer or use a zoom lens? How can framing with foreground or background objects add or take away from a shot?

What are Dynamic Symmetry and Rule of Thirds? How do these techniques build a sense of energy in a picture?

Can photography be about what you do not see in a picture?