Composition : The Art of Composition and Photography
Written by: Digital PhotographyThere are a few basic rules of composition that you need to be aware of and practice:
THE RULE OF THIRDS
Simply put, divide the view-finder into thirds, vertically and horizontally. The four intersecting points are where you want to place subject matter of interest. The “S” Curve, will help you lead the viewer’s eye toward objects you wish to emphasize; also, a pleasing pattern.
SYMMETRY
The exact correspondence of form on the opposites sides of a dividing line. Our eye demands symmetry.
SYMMETRY IS IMPORTANT!
Our eyes have been exposed to symmetry or near-symmetry since the day we were born and our MIND now demands it … is conditioned to it. So, it is a factor that cannot be ignored. If you are presented with a scene that has symmetry you should not ignore it/ You should do your best to compose that photograph precisely so that you emphasize and balance the scene. If you do ignore the apparent symmetry, you will create an un-balanced picture that is uncomfortable to the human eye.
So rules listed above–”rule of thirds”, “S” curve, and symmetry–are important, but they are not set in stone. Look for ways to use the rules …………. Rule of thirds, for instance….Here, all four points have an element of interest.
Or look for ways to bend the rules a bit …
A variation of that “S” curve … and, breaking away from symmetry to add a touch of dimensionality … drama ….
Once you have practiced and worked with these rules …. learn how to break them successfully!!!!
A few more tidbits about how we see HERE
i may be a simpleton but i’m not sure i am seeing what you want me to see regarding these rules in relation to the photos. Could you draw onto the photos the rules you are suggesting? eg. the ‘s’ curve in the photo.
Point well taken. To hopefully clarify things in the meantime. 1st photo from the top “Rule of Thirds”, 2nd photo from the top, the “S” Curve. Doesn’t the river look like an “S” curve? 3rd photo from the top, Symmetry.
Hi,
Can you elaborate in the ‘house’ picture what you mean about a variation of the ‘S – curve’. I’m unable to see anything that looks ‘S’ like.
Thanks
So far Ive only read a few part and Im sure I,ll get lots of great info from these lessons
thank you Brian
Rob, Skip had written the article so I can’t tell you for sure what he was thinking but he does say that he’s breaking the rules a bit there and you can see the half “s” that we’ve drawn in where he used that cloud formation to his advantage and then went to an asymmetrical house.
hi, im new to all this but if u pay attention to the picture as well as what he has written, the house is also curved too because its at an angle and so are other parts of the house such as the railings. so maybe that is also part of the ‘s’ curve.
kelly
Thank You. This was very interesting. I have read books, but this was really helpful.
I’m trying to develop a career in photography, I’m looking at the pictures and I’m not understanding the “S” curve by looking at these pictures. Can you elaborate more the “S” curve
Yeah the last few images can make the rules seem confusing because they’re not meant to be clear illustrations of the rule, but more of a break from the rules. If you look at the photo of the river it’s pretty clear that the curving back and forth is the s-curve element that makes the photograph interesting.
One thing I’ve picked up in various places about the S-curve is that it helps to draw your viewer “into” the photo, and toward what you want them to see. It can also be used to lead the eye through the photo to see many different subjects, like in the river image above. It gives your viewer a path to follow through the image, so to speak.
I dont get what the “s” curve is?
I think Jim explains it well.
I also agree with Jim, I think the s-curve is ment to move the viewers eye through the photo. If you mentally draw an S over the photo of the house you get the full detail of the entire house, starting at the eaves of the roof down to the double windows, over to the rounded porch, up to the bottom of the stairs and ending at the American flag. Just as the river in the first picture leads you through the entire shot.