Improving Composition
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Ways To Improve Your Composition.
With todays point and shoot cameras and the ablilty for most SLR's to have a fully automatic mode one of the more important things to consider when trying to improve your photography is Composition. There are many rules about composition that for the most part should be followed. There is however times when knowing when to break these rules can also create a nice image. In this article we will look at ways to improve your composition. Listed below are a few ways to help you do this.
Simplicity
The first way to improve your compostions is to look at simplicity. Sometimes when we take a picture of something there are to many other things in the photo. What you should do is look for ways to give the main subject of your photo the most visual attention. So remember move closer and use a simple back ground. This will help to uncomplicate the image.
Why is the picture being taken?
There are many times when a person is looking at a picture and the subject or reason for the picture is unclear. Make sure the main subject of your photo and the reason for taking it is clear to the viewer.
Learn to read the entire view finder.
When looking in the view finder many people do not take the necessary time needed to compose the image properly. What you should do is press the camera as close to your eye as possible and look at the whole scene. Look at all the four corners and look for any large open spaces or unnecessary things in the picture. If there are any large open spaces move in closer to the main subject. If there are any unnecessary details in the picture exclude them.
Lines
The use of lines in your picture can create a very nice effect that will draw the attention of the viewer to the main subject or make the picture more dynamic. There are three types of lines you will want to consider when applying this technique they are Diagnol lines, multiple lines and the S curve. Please see the examples below.
Multiple Lines
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Corbin_multiple_lines.jpg
Image:Corbin_multiple_lines.jpg
Diagnol Lines
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Corbin_diagonal_lines.jpg
Image:Corbin_diagonal_lines.jpg
S-Curve
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Corbin_s_curve.jpg
Image:Corbin_s_curve.jpg
Balance
Another way to improve your composition is to make sure you have the proper balance in your pictures. Proper balance is the arrangement of colors, shapes, lightness or darkness that complement one another so that the photograph looks balanced. Below are two examples of well balanced photos.
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Corbin_candles.jpg
Image:Corbin_candles.jpg
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Corbin_lion.jpg
Image:Corbin_lion.jpg
Framing
Another way to improve your composition is to use the technique of framing. This means to frame the center of interest with object in the foreground. This gives the picture some depth. There are many ways to do this and you will want to practice this technique in order to get it right. Below are a few examples of this.
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Corbin_sunset.jpg
Image:Corbin_sunset.jpg
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Corbin_island.jpg
Image:Corbin_island.jpg
There is a lot more to learn about composition but the above ways are a good place to start when considering composition of your photographs. I hope this tutorial will help you to create better images. Good luck and Happy shooting
All Photos in this tutorial are copyrighted by Corbin T Doak and can not be copied or used in anyway with out the permission of the Photographer.
For more examples, please visit Corbin's TLF Gallery (http://www.thelensflare.com/u_corbin.php).
