Because the subject is your main focus in a composition, you place your lens's focal point on the subject when you take an image. By placing your focal point on your subject, you're instructing viewers to look at that area primarily. (For information on how to manipulate your focal point, head to Chapter 3, and for more on using focus as a compositional tool, see Chapter 7.)
Other areas in your composition may contain details that reveal important information about your subject based on your message. These are known as supporting elements in a scene. After you know what your subject is, you can determine what your supporting elements are based on what you see to help tell the story of your subject. Say, for example, you're photographing a leaf falling from a tree. If your viewers can see other leaves lying on the ground, they know this isn't the first leaf to fall from the tree. And if they see other leaves still on the tree, they know this one leaf won't be the last to fall. However, if the ground were covered with leaves and the tree was bare, this falling leaf would produce a different story. You determine what your supporting elements are (and what you will include in your photograph) based on what you want to say about your subject.
You don't want the supporting elements to stand out more than your subject, but you do want them to be apparent enough to draw attention on a secondary level. A good composition draws a viewer in to the subject and then leads her to the supporting elements in the most visually appealing way. Attention to this type of detail is important for making your message as effective as possible.
I took Figure 2–2 during a fashion editorial shoot based on urban camping in Miami. The model, who's the subject, is shown as if she's trekking through the city like a hiker would hike through the wilderness. She wears a hiker's pack, so you get the idea that she's hiking; however, the supporting elements tell you where she's hiking. One look at this image and you know that she isn't in the wilderness. The texture of the ground in the foreground and the bridge overhead confirm that the hiker is in an urban environment. The river, a supporting element, is important in this image because it makes a connection to hiking in the backwoods (hikers typically stay near a water source when going on long journeys through the wilderness).
50mm, 1/60 sec, f/4,400
Figure 2–2: A subject surrounded by elements that support her story.
The relationships, both physical and suggested, between your subject and the supporting elements in a scene help clarify your message. Here are some examples:
" Two elements side by side appear to be equals in a composition; one element in front of another appears to be more important in the composition than the element behind it.
• Sometimes taking out one element makes another element unnecessary to your message.
I•»" An element that stands out (such as a red umbrella in a sea of blue ones), becomes more significant and changes your message.
Figure 2–3 shows a nontraditional composition. The subject (the tree) is split in half by the edge of the frame. Because you can see only a portion of the tree, the most you glean is that the tree has certain shapes, textures, and colors. However, the relationship it has with its own shadow shows you the tree's full shape and gives you an idea of how much distance exists between it and the rock wall.
135mm, 1/100 sec, f/B, 100
Figure 2–3: The relationship between the tree and its shadow gives the viewer a complete sense of place and identity regarding the tree.
Seeing What the Camera Sees
A camera and lens see and record light much like your eyes do. For example, like your eye lenses, a camera lens refracts light and focuses it onto the digital sensor. And just like your retina, the digital sensor uses the light information to form images and record them. The distance from the lens
to the sensor determines the distance at which your focal point will be. Figure 2–4 shows how the lens moves to and from the sensor to achieve focus at different distances.
You can change the distance of your focal point by rotating the focusing ring on your digital SLR's lens or by using your camera's autofo-cus feature. Chapter 3 tells you much more about how to use your equipment.
igure 2–4: The camera lens focused at different distances.
In the following sections, I show you how to create an illusion of three-dimensional space in a two-dimensional photograph. In other words, I explain how to give viewers a sense of space similar to what they would get from the scene in real life. I also discuss how to control what viewers look at in your photographs.
ReVealinq three dimensions In a to-dimensional medium
Having a pair of eyes rather than just one eye gives you the capability of depth perception, the ability to recognize three dimensions. Depth perception helps you understand distance relationships even when you have minimal information to work with. Because it has only one lens, a camera perceives depth differently than your eyes do — it can only perceive two dimensions.
Although your camera produces two-dimensional images, it can recognize three-dimensional space because its lens can focus at different distances. A camera image with one element in focus while another is blurry represents the way your eyes observe a scene. You can use this technique in conjunction with certain compositional techniques to maximize the representation
of three-dimensionality (or depth) in a photograph. The following clues in a composition can tip off a viewer about how much distance is between different elements:
Merging elements: You experience merging when two or more elements intersect based on your viewing position. When one element physically blocks your line of sight to another element, you can assume that the position of the element that you see is closer to you than that of the blocked element. Figure 2–5 shows an example in which mountains merge in front of other mountains that are farther from the camera.
Size relationships: When you know the typical size of something in a photograph, you can use it to reveal spatial information. If two adults are in a scene, you can assume that they're of similar size (give or take a foot). If one of the people appears to be much larger in the frame than the other, the viewer recognizes that the larger person is closer to him.
200mm, 1/500 sec, f/5, 100
Figure 2–5: Showing merging elements to establish a sense of distance between them.
" Tonal gradation: You use shadows, highlights, and tonal gradations to reveal three-dimensional surfaces in a photograph. Tonal gradation takes place when you see a gradual change from brightness to darkness. When you look down a well, for instance, the light reveals details at the top, but the light falls off as you look deeper into the well. The darker it gets, the deeper you're looking into the well.
Paying attention to everything in the frame
You're responsible for everything that appears in your chosen frame. So only those items that affect your message should be included in your frame. In other words, if something causes a viewer to ask, "Why is this here?" you know you should have either found a way to exclude it from your photograph or have an explanation as to why it's there.
When you look at a scene, ask yourself which elements convey your message and which ones may distract from it. Remove the distractions whenever possible. The most basic method for eliminating something from your frame is to crop it out as you're taking the photo. You can do so by zooming your lens, by moving closer to your subject to include less of the scene, or by moving your camera to the left or right or up or down. (Chapter 8 gives you tips about revealing and hiding items in a scene.) You also can remove some distracting elements during postproduction editing, but you should only use this method as a last resort (refer to Chapter 18).