ART OF COMPOSITION
"Composition is the arrangement of visual elements so they agreeably present themselves when viewed as a whole".
CHAPTER 1: THE IMPORTANCE OF VISUAL SKILLS
Photography is about vision – real or perceived.
Before we take the camera out of the bag we must first learn to look at what we are seeing, and to see at which we are looking.
As a wannabe photographer SEEING is the most fundamental skill we need to learn. we can very well learn it, just need to understand how to use the right side of our brain
What???
I will explain with the best of my understanding. In general, people tend to rely on analytical processing by the left side of the brain. We need to train ourselves to use the cognitive functioning of the brain's right side. If you are reading this and understanding what's written in this post is an analytical process i.e. you are using your left side of your brain. If you are looking for what font, size, colour, type used in this post, means you are using your right side of the brain.
We need to shift into a cognitive perception mode during photo shoot.
The brain has a natural tendency to filter out what it considers to be extraneous visual information. Failing to notice small details when taking photographs is a common problem caused by not sufficiently engaging the brain’s perceiving mode. The classic example is failing to include a person's feet in a full length portrait.
We need to learn these skills of perception of edges, spaces, relationships, lights & shadows and the whole. Throghout this book there are plenty of exercises which will facilitate the shift in mental processing from left to right side of the brain. For some its not easy learning to shift to right side.
Importance of Composition:
Basically, composition is determined by how objects are arranged and balanced in the photograph. Any image that succeeds in communicating its subject in an efficient or interesting way can be said to have good composition. It is important to understand that an image’s composition should be judged by how well it works and not by the rules or guidelines
According to Gestalt theory, human perception is governed by the following principles:
• People tend to perceive by distinguishing between a figure and a background (the figureground relationship).
• Objects that are close together are likely to be seen as a group (the principle of proximity).
• Objects that are similar are more likely to be seen as a group (the principle of similarity).
• People tend to see complete figures even when part of the information is missing (the principle of closure).
• People tend to perceive subjects as continuous figures (the principle of continuity).
In visual perception, factors such as the distance of the subject from the background provide important visual clues. In photographs, other clues such as contrast, tonality, and color may dominate. When making images, photographers need to take such factors into account and not rely solely on their initial perceptions.
Although there are compositional rules/guidelines but they just provide a catalog of elements that tend to create favorable impressions on viewers. There is no reason to refrain from using them if you find them useful but they don't apply to all situations. Most photographers, once they acquire enough experience, tend to rely on their intuitive sense of composition and generally stop using guidelines at the conscious level.
The “rule” is only a guideline that is useful when it improves an image, and should be freely disregarded in the frequent situations when it does not.
Once the sense of seeing is acquired, composition will take care of itself.
Viewing other people’s photographs is an excellent way to improve your ability to see photographically.
to be continued...
Art of Composition
