24mm, 75 sec, f/5.6, BOO
Figure 1–4: Depth helps to draw a viewer's eyes into a photograph.
In other words, find a scene in which the colors contrast by existing on opposite sides of the color wheel. I talk about color in more detail in Chapter 6.
4. Start paying attention to the design elements you find in Chapter 4, including the following:
Lines: Elements that lead a viewer's eyes from one area of the composition to another
• Shapes and forms: Elements that take up a specific space in the frame in a particular way
• Scale: The size and weight relationships of photographic elements
• Patterns: The repeating elements and mirror images
You have many elements to consider when you compose an image. You don't have to include each one in every image, but do consider them. You'll eventually develop the ability to analyze a scene and determine which elements are appropriate for telling the story of the scene through your eyes. The elements that you use to create an image should be only the ones that are necessary to support your message.
Chapter 2. Developing an Eye for Composition
In This Chapter
^ Understanding the mechanics of sight
^ Taking a look at how a camera "sees" a scene
^ Techniques to improve your compositional creativity
J\jo doubt you've come across photographs that have caught your W W attention and caused you to stop and stare. Images like these can have a haunting quality that draws you in and brings you to a certain place. They can alter your mood or clarify your thoughts. The ultimate goal of a photographer is to create these types of images — the ones that speak to people.
The ability to combine a subject that's relevant to your intended message, a mood that drives the message, and an image that's overall aesthetically pleasing makes you a better photographer. Composition is the key to unlocking this ability. So, in this chapter, I show you how to develop your photographic eye and recognize (and later apply) effective compositions when you see them.
You know something good when you see it, so how do you translate that same effectiveness onto your digital sensor to share with other people? You start by observing your surroundings with a watchful eye and a sharp memory. When something looks good or interesting to you, take some time to ask why you're drawn to it. If you can figure out what attracts you to a particular scene, you may have a chance to translate that attractiveness through one your own photographs.
Studying What the Eye Sees
Your eyes are extremely sophisticated lenses that have the ability to refract light focused onto your retina and interpret it into image-forming signals. Understanding how the eye works and how people see helps you create compositions that show a scene in the way you want people to see it. Your camera and lens were designed to work in a similar way to your eyes, so understanding one helps to understand the other.
You have the option to limit what viewers see or you can reveal everything — it simply depends on your message. When approaching a scene, your eyes scan the area and find certain elements that stand out to you. By noticing these elements, you can figure out what's significant about a scene and why it's worth photographing, and then you can determine how to relay those important elements to other people.
When you look at an object, it's the only thing you see clearly; everything else is out of focus and lacks detail because your eyes set a focus point based on distance. If two objects are at separate distances, you can focus on only one at a time. Figure 2–1 shows how your eye sees and why only one thing can be in focus at a time.
Your eyes are easily distracted because they have to constantly focus on the various elements of a scene in order to take in the whole picture. So once an element is recorded and understood visually, your eyes move on to the next element. When you've looked at all the elements in an area, you have a general idea of what the entire scene looks like even though you only can focus on one element at a time.
Figure 2–1: The human eye focused at different distances.
The following sections outline the different things your eye focuses on when you look at a scene.
Contrast
When you first glance at a particular scene, the first thing you notice is whatever sparkles or stands out the most. Contrast is what causes something to stand out to your eye; it's the difference in visual properties among objects that are close to each other in proximity. In the visual sense, contrast is created by tonal differences (blacks and whites, shadows and highlights, darkness and lightness, and so on) and complementary colors that reside on opposite sides of the spectrum. For more about contrast, check out Chapters 6 and 10.
The area in a scene with the most contrast most likely grabs your eye's attention first. The same concept applies to composition. A viewer of a photograph is naturally and instinctively drawn to the area of the image with the most contrast. When that area also happens to contain your subject or other information relevant to your message, your composition begins to make sense.
distance
The eyes can focus on only one particular distance at a time. So, in order to take in all the information surrounding you, your eyes scan the area and your brain puts the information together. This way, even though you can see only one element at any given time, you still know what other elements exist, so you have a good idea of where you are and what's going on.
A person views your photographs in a similar way. Her eyes go to the area that stands out as having the most contrast, and then she scans the rest of the image to see what the whole story is about, examining everything in the frame. Creating a good composition means leading the viewer to specific areas that support and complement your message.
Patterns
Patterns stand out to your eyes as visual elements. Even in chaotic scenes, you can spot a pattern if it exists. Because they contain repetitive elements, patterns tend to have a visual significance and draw attention. A pattern's visual significance can be used to your advantage when composing a photograph. It has the ability to draw a viewer's attention or to lead his eyes to your subject.
For example, as you look down the hallway in a hotel, the doors all look the same, but they gradually appear smaller in the distance until they lead your eyes to the end of the hallway. (You can find more information on using patterns in your compositions in Chapter 4.)
Relationships between subjects and supporting elements
When you come across a scene, you determine what your subject will be by deciding what you think is the most important or visually striking element present. Some photographers see things differently from one another and may create images with different messages. For instance, when you see a family eating Thanksgiving dinner, you may think the person who's carving the turkey is the subject. Another photographer may think the turkey itself is the subject. A third photographer may think the empty bottles of wine in the background should become the subject.