Improving Composition in Your Photography
An arrangement of colorful barrels, stacked by the side of the road in Ubud, Bali make for a vivid and symmetrical composition.
Here's a photo, underpinned by strong composition, of some barrels I found stacked up by the side of the road in Ubud, Bali.
It appears to be a very simple image and that's good because simple images are easier for the viewer to read and make sense of. They also make it easier for the photographer to communicate the story, message or theme that’s being explored.
So with the above image as a case in point we understand that, at one level, what we are looking at is a series of colorfully painted barrels.
Yet the photo is at least as much an exploration of image design or composition as it is a picture of barrels.
The secret to making this a successful, and in this case that means dynamic, photo is the composition that underpins it. Let's explore that composition by breaking it down into separate elements.
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Shape Is An Important Element Of Composition
A key element in the success of this photo is the use of shape. And, in this case, we're talking about the circle.
The image uses the shape of the circle, in a repetitive manner, to create a harmonious pattern throughout the photo.
Repetition and pattern are also elements of composition that, in this case, work to elevate the circular shapes within this image.
Color Is The First Element Of Composition We Look For
Usually the most accessible element of composition in a successful color photo are the colors within the photo and the relationships they have to each other.
The use of contrasting warm and cool colors is a dominant feature within the photo of barrels in Ubud, Bali.
Notice how the cool green and blues amplify the warmth of the reds and pink barrels.
A feather, delicately positioned between rocks, lies in a shallow pool of water on Squeaky Beach in Wilsons Promontory National Park, Australia.
How To Make Composition the Subject Of your Photo
It's just so easy and so much fun making photos in this way.
The trick is to forget the objects that are in front of your camera’s lens and construct your image based around the elements of composition within the scene.
These elements include the following:
Color
Line
Shape
Texture
Shadow
Pattern
Repetition
Viewpoint
You really only need two or three strong elements of composition to make composition the primary subject of your photo.
The photo of the feather, delicately positioned in a shallow pool of water on Squeaky Beach in Australia’s Wilsons Promontory National Park is based upon line. In this case it’s a diagonal line.
Texture and shape are also evident, but line is the dominant element of composition in this photo.
Explore Perspective And Make More Interesting Photos
To make the photo at the top of this post I utilized a lens with a 24 mm focal length on my full frame Canon 5D Mark II camera.
The wide angle view offered by this focal length allowed me to move in very close to the foreground barrels without cropping out too many of their horizontally stacked counterparts in the background.
Despite the fact that the vertical and horizontally placed barrels were pushed right up against each other the 24mm focal length allowed me to create the illusion of space between them.
It did this was by exaggerating the size of the barrels closest to the lens and, as a consequence, making the horizontally stacked barrels in the background appear smaller and, therefore, further away than they actually were.
Have you ever seen what appeared to be an expansive home interior only to arrive at your dream home and be faced with the reality of the room in question?
Wide angle lenses and real estate photography go hand in hand.
Next time you're out and about photographing try to include some elements of composition into your own photography.
With practice the composition of your photographs will improve and, it’s reasonable to suggest, your interest in the world around you will likely be heightened.
That's how it works for me.
