Composition – The art of placing items in your images

It’s a grand hall. The long walls filled with portraits painted by great European painters.  Yet at each end, two of the youngest people in the room command everyone’s attention.  They stare across the room at one another, seemingly unaware of all the other guests in the room. 

Pinkie - her flowing pink hat ribbons blowing in the breeze, toes pointed forward seemingly ready to dance from the canvas that holds here. 

Blue Boy - standing proud like a statue in his unmistakable blue outfit. 

As I stand before Pinkie gazing at the artist’s portrait, there is far more to notice than just another pretty face.  The canvas holds some great examples of composition and what it can do to enhance an image.  One of Pinkie’s ribbons falls from her hat, blown by an imaginary breeze. The fabric swoops down across her body, our eyes following the cloth as it drifts.  Her left hand is held in front of her just below the ribbon.  Her hand/arm and ribbon never cross.  This slight gap between her hand and the textile is a great lesson for photographers; sometimes elements of and image look better with space between them.

In nature think of flowers.  In some of our compositions we need to put a bit of space between a focal point and other objects. Pinkie provides us with a lovely example of this in practice.  However, as photographers we cannot always decide where something is placed.  Sure, maybe we can do a bit of scenic horticulture in our own garden and nudge offending plants out of the way.  Not going to happen if I need a Giant Sequoia placed in a different location! 

Should we always separate elements?  Pinkie provides us with yet another example as her two ribbons cross paths just a short way down the painting.  Is this breaking a rule?  No, the connecting lines lead us to see that her other ribbon is actually following the flow of her right shoulder before wandering out to the edge of the painting.

Many other paintings provide us lessons, showing where and when elements should be separated and when they work well together.  Our own images can do the same thing.  Take a moment to look over some of your own images to see if this concept is at work.  Many times we just know that it is pleasing to the eye without following a “rule”.  Thomas Lawrence completed this painting over 200 years ago, yet it still provides a lesson in our digital world.

Painters Have it Easy!

I’ll admit it, sometimes I envy painters.  They are so fortunate when it comes to composition.  With a few strokes of the brush, the artist decides the location of a tree, excludes a distracting elements from the edge of the frame and places everything in exactly the perfect spot.  I mean, all they have to do is study and practice for years, learn how to mix colors, implement proper brush strokes and then spend days, weeks, months or longer on a project.  Okay, on second, my envy has subsided.

As photographers we can learn by studying painters and their craft.  During a recent visit to the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens I took a detour from my usual route, which is typically strait to one of the garden areas.  I’ll admit it, I was a member off and on for years before I actually set foot into one of the buildings.  Yes, I’m easily distracted by colorful, shiny things in nature.  Over the past few years I’ve been retracing my steps to enjoy, and learn from, the classic art inside the walls. 

I had to force myself into the doorway of one of the buildings at the Huntington after arriving for a week-long stay.  California “winter” weather – clear, sunny, 78 degrees.  Oregon weather when I left – lots of liquid sunshine and 48 degrees.  Still, there was much to see in the grand galleries.

Numerous techniques cross over from painting to photography.  Few, if any, of these skills are new.  Most are centuries old, perfected by great painters over generations.  This is one of the first attributes we can learn, patience.  Whether it’s a sable brush or a digital camera in our hands, our skill develops over time.  I strongly believe digital cameras have increased the speed of our learning curve immensely, but learning, improving and perfecting a method (and our eye) takes time.  Sometimes lots of it.

Over the next few posts I’m going to explore some of the ways painters use light, composition, framing, posing and other skills in their bag of tricks…and how we as photographers can borrow these for our images.  My goal is for each post to be a mini-lesson.  The topics may act as reminders of techniques we have used in the past but lost track of over the years.

Each is intended to be a bite-sized portion; something to try next time you venture out with your camera, but not too overwhelming in scope.  I hope you enjoy our walk with the painters!

Different Perspectives – Putting your camera (and yourself) in unique places

“The clouds look so much prettier from this side”, announced the voice of the teenager leaning forward in her seat, positioning her cell phone camera for a better look out of the airplane window.  As I listened to the simulated shutter click on her phone I already had mine out.  She was right.  As our Boeing 737 lowered into the clouds as we approached PDX the sight was stunning. 

It was later in the day, a little before sunset, when the light begins to improve with each passing minute.  The clouds were really more of the thick fog that had been covering the Willamette Valley since just north of Eugene on the flight from, a much sunnier, California.  But as the plane slowed approaching the airport, the hills of Portland came alive, poking out of the layer of cotton enveloping the city.  Sometimes it was a large estate surrounded by a large, green pasture and a white fence.  Next another summit would pop out with no evidence of the hand of man – just pristine wilderness minutes from, and five hundred feet above the busy city. 

Other times there was no evidence of earth, just a silky weave of textures stretching endlessly to the western horizon.  In just the few minutes of the descent, the light continued to change as subtle hues danced atop the fabric.  Suddenly all was white as we plunged into the clouds.

As we emerged below, stringy lengths of grey fog hung from the cloud above.  The ever important light now flat.  It now seem night time; a stark contrast from the bright show just a few hundred feet above.  Both my neighbor and I return our phones to our pockets (many airlines now allow you to keep your phone on and in “airplane” mode for the entire flight). 

The young lady seated next to me on the flight absolutely had it right; we get better photos when we place our cameras in places that are unique.  In this case it was above the clouds but it doesn’t need to be in a faraway location.  When photographing young children, we can get our cameras closer to their eye level by kneeling down.  When traveling, photographing from higher (or lower) vantage points can provide a welcome fresh perspective.  It doesn’t need to be difficult, just try to get your camera in a different place other than your eye level on the beaten path.  Even if you click the shutter, you might enjoy the view yourself!

 

Fisheyes & Sun Flare

In Yosemite National Park there are plenty of reminders to look up.  Half Dome, Glacier Point, and numerous waterfalls just to name a few.  There is also, of course, the forest and the trees.  Using a fisheye lens (in this case a 10.5mm) while looking straight up creates a unique view.  Since the lens will cover most of the sky there is also the likelihood that the sun will be in the frame. 

By stopping the lens aperture down to a high number (small opening) and hiding most of the sun's light behind a tree, you will create a natural sun star without the need of any special filter.  You may also find some extra, colorful reflections across the image (notice diagonally down toward the lower left corner of the image there is a green circle).  This is a result of the bright light directly into the lens.

Sometimes you may wish to avoid this, other times enjoy the unpredictable nature, of nature.  Another advantage of finding a subject where you are pointing the camera directly up; you won't photograph your feet!  If you have ever thought about the possibilities a lens like this can bring to your photography, but you don't want to invest in such a special purpose lens, consider renting one for a few days or even a week.  That's what I did before I decided the investment was worth if (for me and my style of images). There are several local dealers that rent lenses and even cameras.

A Different Perspective

A Different Perspective

When we think of portraits, the visual is of someone’s face, a group or perhaps a profile.  There are times, many times, when a compelling image is actually captured from a far different perspective, from behind the subject. 

While enjoying the Chinese New Year celebration at the Huntington Library and Gardens I found that, while the fronts and profiles of many of the performers were interesting, the view from behind often made even a more compelling image.

By not showing the face you add mystery to the photograph.  This can work exceptionally well if you are telling a story with a series of images.  While some may show the face or faces, others can just show details or, as we have above, just the back of your subject.  Okay, I understand the portrait studios would not do too well if they showed a set of proofs to eager parents and none of them showed their precious baby’s face!  But after you get your great facial expression images, move around and show something different; like your subject from behind. 

Memories of a different time

How our photography creates memories in a curious way

In 2003 I took a road trip, driving my 1988 Chevy S-10 Blazer, across the country to Vermont.  I was attending a photography business workshop and could have flown, but decided on driving across the county alone to see some new sights.  And of course take some photos along the way.

It’s hard to believe this was nearly ten years ago.  Sometimes if feels like it was a very distant time.  Other times the memories are quite fresh.  It was a great trip, great workshop and an all-around fantastic experience.  Shortly after this trip I donated my Blazer, with 444,000 miles, to a friend whose car had been stolen.  It was a nice farewell trip for the 15 years we shared together on the road.

There was one sight I spied while nearly home, just across the border in Arizona.  At the time it was quite humorous… dark humor about the price of gas.  Now we might see something similar now in 2012, but the fuel price would be substantially different…and higher.  How I wish for the 2003 version of what an arm and a leg looks like now!

Photographs provide great memories for our families, vacations and other events.  Sometimes the memories seem a bit twisted, like this sign, but they still are fun.  I think the lesson for me here was to stop and take the picture.  It was great coming across this image in my files recently.  Momentum could easily have gotten the best of me as I passed by this photo opportunity in the desert.  I had just traveled through more than two dozen states and was just one border crossing away from home.  Yet I overcame inertia, stopped the car and captured a memory.  Don’t let too many of these chances pass you by when you have easy access to a camera.

One goal down...getting started

Well, I set a goal to start a Blog in the first part of the year.  Here it is!  I'm looking forward to sharing stories, lessons learned and other bits I learn while behind the camera.  It looks like much of my learning will be sorting out the Blog controls for the first few posts so please hang with me for a while. 

Any insight you would like to share is always welcome.  I've been out with the camera quite a bit over the past few weeks and I'm looking forward to sharing some of the experiences I've had while looking through the viewfinder.  Thanks again for your patience and more to follow...soon.