Introduction to the construction skills of square human body

Lead: Photos with square composition are very popular recently. Some people are obsessed with polaroid or want to simulate 6X6 Hasselblad. Of course, because of the recent popularity of 1: 1 pictures, many people want to shoot a different feeling for a change. However, when portrait photography uses a square composition, how should it look good? Let people take you to study how to get started quickly like a classroom.

The basic principle of perspective square composition

If you want to take a good square composition, you must understand the basic principles of taking a good photo. Because we are used to looking at rectangular photos, and the photosensitive element of the camera itself is rectangular, we will intuitively assume that the square is realized by cutting the left and right sides, and we will feel that there are many restrictions and obstacles in our thinking. However, if you think of it as 1: 1, you will have the thinking of broadening the world.

Different from our common 3: 2 or 4: 3 images, the height and width of the square are equal, so no matter what the image is, the boundary is already in a very stable state visually. Therefore, when we try to shoot a square composition for the first time, we will advise players to pay attention to whether the horizontal and vertical lines in the image can be grasped as much as possible, because as long as there is a little skew, it is easy to make the picture unstable. Wait until you can gradually master the balance between the elements in the image, and then try other composition methods.

▲ Put the subject in the center and pay attention to the horizontal and vertical lines, and the picture will naturally stabilize.

▲ When shooting a square of 1: 1, you can get the balance of the image by skillfully arranging the elements of the picture.

Pursue the largest size image.

Whether it is a digital monocular camera (DSLR) or a consumer camera (DC), when you want to shoot a square image, you do it by cropping the image (* note). If you want to get a larger image size, it is best to take the short side of the rectangle as the benchmark of the square, and put the part to be cut in the space where the rectangle extends in advance, so as to get the largest image size.

Note: At present, many consumer cameras have built-in image aspect ratios of different proportions. By setting in advance, you can directly preview the composition and take pictures at this ratio. To some extent, it will be more convenient and accurate than a digital monocular camera.

Description of the realization of square composition

No matter whether it is a square or a rectangular picture frame, the focus of composition is almost on the balance of the picture, but the square is not our common proportion after all, and if we shoot with a digital monocular camera, there is no square box for our reference, so there is still a little difference in actual shooting. Let's explain the main points that need to be paid attention to when shooting according to the commonly used composition methods of center, three points, symmetry and diagonal.

▲ When shooting the whole body and bust, you can use banner shooting to confirm the space to be kept up and down. When close-up, use the short side of the straight frame to confirm that the model is placed in the center of the square composition and the space reserved at the top.

Practical skills of central composition

Putting the model in the center of the picture can be said to be the first step in learning 1: 1 composition, and then you can simply take a stable image through the vertical and horizontal lines in the picture. If you take a full-body photo, it is recommended to reserve some space on the top of your head and soles of your feet so that the picture will not appear too crowded. Close-ups above the bust or chest line only need to pay attention to the space above the head.

Because most of the digital cameras we use use the ratio of 3: 2 or 4: 3, when we want to shoot the theme in the center, it is suggested that we use short edges to confirm the reserved space after cutting. For example, we shoot with a banner, and the short edge is the height of the photo, so as to confirm the proportion of the theme in the image, so that there will be no problem of insufficient reserved space when cutting.

▲ By using other elements (windows) in the scene to balance the left and right pictures, the image can be balanced.

Practical skills of symmetrical composition

Another method we often use in square composition is "symmetry", especially for scenes with reflections. It is suggested that players can deal with it from two aspects. Of course, not all environments have perfect symmetry, but we can still find many scenes with the same concept in peacetime, such as trees and trees in two rows of doorways and alleys, and the center of two windows. , which can be used as an element to stabilize the picture.

Practical skills of three-point composition

Three-point composition can also be used in square composition, but in practice, because the left and right proportions are not equal, it is easy to make the picture look a little unbalanced. To avoid this problem, there are two ways to balance the picture. One is to put the model in the center of the three-point line, and the existing line of the scene points to the target to form a moving line (such as sequence, light, etc.). ), so that you can naturally focus on the theme; Another way is to deal with it in a symmetrical way. Symmetrical or interactive objects will be arranged in the space on the other side of the model to balance the picture. When shooting this kind of works, we will suggest that it is best to use a straight frame to compose the picture, and use the short side of a rectangular picture to confirm the cut square, so as to avoid accidentally cutting the subject that you want to express because you don't have a good grasp of the picture space in the subsequent cutting.

▲ In addition to the perfect symmetry between the water surface and the mirror surface, the use of symmetrical background elements can also produce an orderly effect.

Practical skills of diagonal composition

When the background is quite simple, or there are no obvious vertical and horizontal lines, it will be a bit boring to shoot the theme alone. At this time, you can try to break the square rule and use diagonal lines to make the image more playful and dynamic. How much proportion of the model should occupy the picture when shooting, and whether there is space above the head will affect whether the picture will feel too crowded. In principle, the closer to the close-up, the smaller the space from the top of the head to the corner. If it is close to the bust or the whole body, it is recommended to leave more space.

▲ If there is no element to balance the picture, it is also a good way to use the lines in the scene to guide the line of sight.

▲ When there are no obvious horizontal or vertical lines in the picture, the main body can be placed at a 45-degree angle to support the diagonal of the square picture.

More practical composition suggestions

The above suggestions are close to the rectangular composition we are used to. But in fact, as long as the overall picture is stable and the theme is highlighted, the law of composition can be broken and the audience can feel more vivid and varied sensory enjoyment. For example, putting a triangle composition that emphasizes stability in a square frame or deliberately skewing it to enhance the sense of instability in the picture can be used as a way to hint at the artistic conception of the picture. Readers may wish to take more photos of the same scene with different proportions, and try to cut out different blocks with the same photo, which is believed to produce more interesting works.

▲ The wall and the wooden door form two color blocks, which divide the picture into two parts, so although the model placed in the middle is not very regular, the image will not lose too much balance.

▲ Let the fonts and characters on the wall form a T-shape, which can also support the picture and maintain a certain stability.

▲ Making the model's movements form a triangle can also make the picture feel stable.

1: 1 Quick Cutting Skills

If readers have the opportunity to use different retouching software, they will find that the shortcut keys and operating habits of most post-processing software are the same. For example, if you want to crop a square image scale, you can not only directly set the value of the cropping scale, but also press the shift key continuously and pull the cropping tool, and the cropping box will be 1: 1. After drawing the border, if you want to fine-tune the horizontal or vertical lines, just move the mouse to the four corners outside the border and rotate it slightly.