Composition Research

In photography there are many accepted rules in composition. These are guidelines that are put in place to help you create images that are balanced or dynamic. In this section I will be explaining the rules/guidelines in photography and I will also be attempting to challenge these rules to see what I can achieve. 

The photographic techniques that I am looking at in this section include: 

• Rule of Thirds 
• Leading Lines 
• Negative Space 
• Depth of Field
• Cropping

The Visual elements: 

Shape: Shapes are a result of closed lines. Although shapes can actually be visible without lines as a photographer can establish a colourful area or  an arrangement of objects within a cameras viewfinder. Main primary shapes include: circles, squares, triangles and also hexagons which all appear in some form or another. Space around the shape is defined and also determined by other shapes and forms. Positive space: is where shapes and forms already exist. Negative space: is the empty
space that is around the shapes and forms. For great photos they need to have a good balance of both positive and also negative space which can result in them counter balancing each other. 

Tone: Tone in photography is one of the most important element in composition. Tone may consist of shadings that are white/grey/black or could also consist of darks against lights with little of or not greys.It is common method the use of dark areas against light areas as it adds the feeling of third dimensions to a two dimensional black and white image. The use of light against dark shares can vary which helps to set the mood of the image. A image that consists a lot of dark shades can convey mystery, sadness or can also be intriguing. On the other hand if the image consists of a lot of light shades that can convey joy, happiness and also health. 

Colour: The colours chosen other than the main subject of the image determine the entire mood of the shot, by either emphasising a particular colour or temperature of the lighting/colour. Reds and oranges are hot and passionate and blues and greens are cool and refreshing. With carful framing and angles you can use colours to specify effects, which can draw attention to small but brightly coloured subjects which is against a very subtle background. By using great lightening it is able to make the colours look more vibrant and stand out more so ideal weather would be bright and sunny which makes the colours look more saturated. Vibrant contrasts, particularly being bright primary colours, are very effective for creating creative designs. 

Space: Good shapes are created as a result of using closed lines. Although shapes can also be seen without lines as a artist can create colour by using bold colour for the lines around the area or arrangement of the objects. Some primary shapes which include circles, squares, triangles and hexagons all of these appear in some form or another. Space can be defined and determined by shapes and the forms. Positive shapes are where the shapes and the forms exist; negative space is the space around the shapes and forms. For the images to have a balance of both positive and negative space have to make sure they counter balance each other. 

Texture: 

Line: