Composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art.
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8answers
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What is the 'Golden Ratio' and why is it better than the 'Rule of Thirds?'
Somebody recently told me that I will be able to compose more pleasing pictures if I use the Golden Ratio instead of the Rule of Thirds, and that the Rule of Thirds was an inferior way to compose ...
36
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14answers
2k views
Can anyone suggest books/resources on the artistic side of photography?
I am a relatively new photographer. I have no problem understanding the technical side of photography (I am an engineer by trade), but I do struggle with the more 'artistic' side of photography ...
32
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3answers
4k views
What is the “Rule of Thirds”?
Please can someone explain the "Rule of Thirds"?
What is it?
What does it tell me?
Why is it important?
What can I do with it?
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votes
3answers
2k views
How can I get photos showing the “shaft of light” effect?
I would like to be able to capture a photo which shows light shafts coming through the window. A famous example is this:
I'm guessing this involves a tripod, a long exposure and strong sunlight, ...
30
votes
2answers
3k views
What is the Rule of Odds?
In furthering my reading on photographic composition I came across a compositional technique called the "Rule of Odds."
What is the "Rule of Odds"?
Why is it important?
How do I apply it to my ...
28
votes
6answers
2k views
Why take diagonal photos?
In the "old days" I sometimes composed my photos diagonally, but I've not had success doing that in the "modern" era, because there's not really any nice way to present it digitally.
Is there a ...
27
votes
4answers
2k views
What is the 'Diagonal Method' and should I use it instead of 'The Rule of Thirds?'
I recently was in a discussion with a photography mentor who asserted that over the years he has composed most of his award-winning and/or 'most popular' photographs using the 'Diagonal Method,' and ...
27
votes
3answers
859 views
How can I show a slope? Even mountain roads appear flat in my photos
During a bicycle trip, I wanted to take a pic to show how sharp the slope was (about 20%). The same applies downhill. See below, the viewer can't really tell whether it is downhill or flat or uphill:
...
24
votes
2answers
805 views
What is Bakker's Saddle?
I was perusing a book called "Success in Print Competition for Professional Photographers" and one section referred to a composition technique called Bakker's Saddle. Three related questions:
What ...
23
votes
6answers
2k views
How do I keep the horizon straight when taking a photo (without a tripod)?
I use a DSLR and I very often find that when I shoot without a tripod, and with my eye to the viewfinder (as opposed to using LiveView), my photos end up slightly crooked: lines that should be ...
22
votes
3answers
2k views
What is Lead Room?
Continuing to educate about basic compositional techniques,
What is "Lead Room?"
Why is it important to consider Lead Room when taking pictures?
When do I apply it to my photography?
22
votes
5answers
922 views
How to create an eye-path?
Reading about photography, I have now and then stumbled on recommendations to "create a path for viewer's eye", or to "lead it through the picture" without any specific guidelines how to achieve that.
...
19
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3answers
2k views
What makes a strong wide-angle composition?
A simple, effective way to improve most compositions is to crop (or zoom) more tightly. Cut out the "distractions", and boom, powerful composition. I usually shoot with a slightly-long lens in the ...
19
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5answers
605 views
How to capture the scale of a scene?
My framing in the following photo completely failed to capture the sheer height of the waterfall. If you don't know I was standing at the top of the waterfall, and the "splinters" at the bottom are ...
19
votes
4answers
3k views
Tips for taking headshot self-portraits?
I need to do some headshots of myself for a gig I have coming up. My initial thought was to use a plain light background (as you see in many studio shots), but I've had some advice to use a dark ...
17
votes
3answers
382 views
What things should one take into account when looking at cropping a photo?
When looking at cropping a photo:
How do you decide whether to crop it or not (for starters)?
What things should you take into account - both practical and artistic?
I guess that this question is ...
16
votes
4answers
756 views
How does histogram shape affect the aesthetics of a picture?
For having more contrast in an image, it's good to have a wide range (i.e. difference between highest and lowest) of light intensities in a picture; and for keeping details, neither highlights nor ...
15
votes
4answers
825 views
When is it OK to place the subject in the middle of a picture?
When is it OK to place the subject in the middle of a picture?
I took this picture and feel very compelled to put the subject in the centre rather than on the sides.
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5answers
2k views
Tricks for a good “jumping” picture?
Too many jumping pictures can be annoying, but I would like to once in a while be able to make a good one.
Here is a bad one:
What characteristics make a jump picture impressive?
How to reach ...
14
votes
5answers
512 views
How to make transparent liquid on white porcelain visible?
I made a picture for the cooking.SE blog:
If you look very hard, in the middle, below the vanilla bean tip, is a small spill of synthetic vanilla essence (which is almost colorless, not dark like ...
13
votes
0answers
590 views
Good books to learn photographic composition from?
One of the tough things to learn in photographie is composition.
What good books (or other sources) can you recommend to learn and hone your compositional skills?
12
votes
5answers
464 views
How can I make interesting photographs of interesting things found on the streets?
I was walking through streets of San Francisco and found this interesting advertisement:
The subject is obviously interesting, but the image here is very straightforward and feels comparatively ...
12
votes
4answers
648 views
Why doesn't auto-focus work with an all-white subject (like a wall)?
I am trying to compose a shot using my Nikon D60 and 18-55mm lens towards a white wall in a auto-focus mode.
It looks like I am not able to take the photo. I feel the camera is not able to find any ...
12
votes
6answers
704 views
What are the main things to avoid in photographic composition?
Considering only the frame and it's content, putting the issues of color rendering, sharpness, exposition, brightness, contrast, optical aberration, unpleasant flash/noise aside.
I think of:
...
12
votes
5answers
601 views
Where could I find a detailed reference on all composition rules?
I am looking for a good advanced reference about photographic/cinematographic composition rules. I have already checked this post:
Good books to learn photographic composition from?
but it doesn't ...
12
votes
5answers
939 views
Can photographic composition rules be used in cinematography?
We all know that photographic composition has certain rules like the rule of thirds, diagonal lines, etc. I am wondering whether those same rules can be applied in cinematography. Can they?
I ...
12
votes
2answers
483 views
What is headroom as it relates to photographic composition?
With photographic composition I often hear people talk about 'leaving enough headroom' for portrait photographs.
What is headroom?
How can I properly apply it to my photographs?
What are the ...
11
votes
6answers
2k views
What are the advantages of shooting a particular aspect ratio?
My camera can shoot in 4 different aspect ratios (4:3, 3:2, 16:9, and 1:1). Aside from personal preference of composition are there any advantages to choosing one over the other? Is there an industry ...
11
votes
4answers
408 views
How can I get people to take an expression which fits the scene?
I have heard that there are specific indirect questions that can be used to get people to be more natural in front of a camera. Many people, who have many expressions to offer, when put in front of a ...
11
votes
4answers
542 views
What are connotations of horizontal and vertical lines in composition?
From my question on diagonal dominance I learned that diagonals are used in many subtle ways, like guiding viewer's eye, expressing depth or energy.
How do horizontal and vertical lines affect ...
11
votes
2answers
589 views
What is a negative space in a photograph?
From here: http://1x.com/forum/photo-critique/31871
you have far too much negative space so the eye goes toward the back...of the picture, and there is not much to see there...either.
What ...
11
votes
1answer
195 views
How to plan the composition of astrophotography?
I want to shoot the Milky Way, some constellations, and planets. I want to include some natural landscapes in these photos, similar to these:
...
10
votes
4answers
318 views
What are the key things that distinguish stock photography from other types?
What are the key features of stock photography that distinguishes it from other types of photography, or is there a fair amount of overlap between them (i.e. a good photograph can be fine art and ...
10
votes
3answers
428 views
What are other popular composition techniques in addition to The Rule of Thirds?
I always hear a lot about The Rule of Thirds. I'd like to know more about other 'tried-and-true' composition techniques (not special effects) that can make a photo more interesting.
In particular, ...
9
votes
6answers
535 views
What can I do to improve my composition on rejected food photos?
I have been working on improving my food photography skills to raise the overall look of my blog. I am shooting with a Sony A100 often a 50mm in natural light. I think I am doing pretty well so far ...
9
votes
6answers
2k views
What is the best approch to photographing a mirror or other highly reflective surface?
I have been asked by a client to take some product photographs of some vintage mirrors that they would like to sell and I am struggling with getting good clear shots of the mirrors. As such, what is ...
9
votes
8answers
409 views
How do I get myself to think about every shot using modern digital equipment?
In today's age of fully automated digital cameras, I find it difficult to seriously think about every picture I take before I press the shutter button. The experience is, from what I can tell, ...
9
votes
3answers
3k views
How can I improve my photographs taken on overcast or cloudy days?
I'm interested in filters, flash & lighting options, composition, and post processing.
Is it possible to get really vibrant colors or should I give up on that and focus on dreary, muted, or black ...
9
votes
1answer
331 views
Is there a name for the type of portrait composition where the subject is looking out of the frame?
I'm wondering if there's a specific term to describe a portrait where the main subject is looking at something outside the frame that we (the viewer) can't see. I like it as a composition technique: I ...
9
votes
3answers
323 views
How to capture fog movement?
As much as I enjoy pictures of fog or mist, I find that I can't express its movement.
I'd like to capture the sort of dance that fog performs with other objects.
The way it moves and surrounds ...
8
votes
4answers
546 views
What is the meaning of these Photodune reasons for rejection?
I wanted some advice, I am new to photography, I posted an image on Photodune for sale and it was rejected because of:
Element or framing composition
Noise, exposure, lighting or saturation
...
8
votes
6answers
296 views
Aside from sharpness & speed, what are the benefits to photo composition\optical quality provided by premium lenses over their cheaper counterpart?
I have gone through quite a few lens reviews and questions on this site that recommend expensive lenses over their cheaper counterparts. From what I've seen in the reviews, there is a marked ...
8
votes
6answers
838 views
What should I consider for cropping aspect ratios?
The question What things should one take into account when looking at cropping a photo? asks about factors that affect composition during cropping.
I'm interested in a very specific sub-set of this, ...
8
votes
3answers
330 views
Still-life reconstruction considered plagiarism?
I am really bad at still lifes. That is, I never even attempted making one. So I decided to try and make a photo of freshly baked bread. I stumbled across a few amazing shots on the Internet which I ...
8
votes
1answer
534 views
What is diagonal dominance?
In another question, rule of Diagonal Dominance was mentioned.
I had never heard of such rule, so I'd like to know...
What is rule of diagonal dominance about?
How to apply it in photography?
When ...
7
votes
4answers
842 views
How do quirks of the human vision system affect photography?
When looking out at the world through our eyes, it's easy to take for granted that our perceptions are an absolute rendering of How Things Are. But in fact, it's not quite as simple as that.
Most of ...
7
votes
3answers
678 views
When should I break the rule of thirds?
When photographers talk about the rule of thirds, they say sometimes they will break the rule and still the photo will have great composition. When should I stick with the rule of thirds and when ...
7
votes
2answers
380 views
How can I make my beach shots more interesting?
I like to visit beaches on my vacation, so I always come back with shots of the shore and sand. They always turn out quite boring, and I'm not sure what they are missing generally speaking to really ...
7
votes
4answers
497 views
What is the proper composition when shooting two persons standing by each another?
EDITED
When shooting a photo with two persons in the foreground and an out of focus/blurred background (no objects apart of the couple), what is the proper composition to place them?
EDITED
I made ...
7
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3answers
1k views
What is the impact of high, low, or eye-level point of view in composition?
Of course there aren't any fixed rules in photography, but since part of photography is about sharing one's viewpoint, I'd like to hear how experienced photographers choose this key aspect of ...
