Picture Composition

There are two parts to taking good photographs –Exposure –Composition Exposure is the technical part of the photographic process Composition is the creative part of the photographic process

Composing Pictures So far we have looked at the various exposure controls Tonight we will look at some basics of photographic composition No amount of control or editing can take the place of good picture composition. This is by no means a complete discussion of composition, just some basics.

Good composition is essential in photography. It allows you to convey messages and emotions through the images that you shoot. Composition is a visual process of organizing the elements and individual details of a scene into a balanced and pleasing arrangement.

Photographic composition is ultimately a matter of person taste. What one person likes another person may hate. We will discuss some general rules of composition that can help you take better photographs.

Some general rules of composition that can help you take better photographs are; –Framing –Strong focal point –Rule of thirds –Leading lines –Angle of view –Perspective –Balance

Some General Composition Rules - Framing Fill the entire photograph with your subject

Have a strong focal point Choose one main subject for you photograph. The main subject can be one object or several. Do not include distractions that pull people away from your photo.

Rule of Thirds Divide you viewfinder into thirds both horizontally and vertically Place your subject along the divide lines between the equal areas or at the places where the these lines meet

Leading Lines Leading lines help to lead the viewers eye to the important object in the photograph Be careful using leading lines so they do not lead away form the important part of the photograph

Angle of View Sometimes you will get a more interesting photograph by changing you angle of view.

Perspective Sometime it will make a photograph more interesting if you add an object to convey the perspective of the photo.

Balance The correct combination of colors, shapes, and areas of light and dark that complement one another

Optical vs Digital Zoom Optical zoom uses the optics (lens) of the camera to bring the subject closer. Digital zoom enlarges a portion of the image, thus 'simulating' optical zoom.

Optical vs Digital Zoom What the camera does is to crops a portion of the image and then enlarges it back to size When the camera does this you loose image quality.

Is Digital Zoom Bad No really it is just another way of cropping images using software. If you do not intend to make enlargements of your photos it will give you decent results. However you can achieve the same effect of the camera digital zoom by cropping the image in photo editing software.