What is structure?

Lead: For any artistic effort, one thing is clear: there must be a good composition. Whether the theme is a beautiful portrait, panoramic scenery, mean streets, indoor scenery or other things, it is meaningful to have a good composition.

However, you may ask, what is a good composition? What is actually a composition? This word is often used, but it is rarely defined and discussed. Few people can understand it, and even some people have never questioned it. Try to define the composition, and you will find it difficult.

My dictionary defines it as:? The layout of all parts of a work of art to form a unified and harmonious whole. ? This is a perfect start. ? A unified and harmonious whole? This is the key word. If photography is your way of expressing yourself, then composition is a means of transportation to express yourself clearly (accurately and smoothly). Composition is a way to bring the audience into the photo, so that they can keep their attention long enough to read your statement and make clear their feelings.

Leaves on the roadside of the four major mountains in Washington.

Leaves on the roadside produce a metallic rhythm, and dark holes (gaps between leaves) scattered among leaves also have interesting shapes, which act as negative spaces, while leaves are positive spaces.

This work has no center of interest, but it has a sense of form, which makes readers' eyes wander in the image.

We will study the definitions of dictionaries more deeply, but first we should make a brief physiological analysis of human visual process in order to apply these definitions to photography.

How do eyes see things?

The eyes can't see everything at once. It divides the world into small pieces and then combines these small pieces into a complete picture. These narrow viewing angles are very small, only about 3? . In order to understand the meaning for yourself, you can try to do this: raise your arms, bend your palms up and open your fingers (just like pressing your palms against the wall in front). So you can see your palm from one arm away. Now, look at your nails. In this way, you will find that your little finger is out of focus! You need to turn your eyes to see your little finger clearly. However, it is not far from your thumb, even if your fingers are open. In fact, your other fingers are out of focus, which shows how narrow our vision is.

Because the eye can only see a small range clearly, it must move quickly to see the whole scene. It works differently from TV scanning and has no settings. On the contrary, the projection of the line of sight is random, and small fragments are selected from the top, bottom, left and right, and then transmitted to the brain at high speed. The brain combines these random data together, just like a mosaic or puzzle. When observing the scene, your eyes will stay on the obvious object for one minute, and you will see it clearly, and other things will be blurred. Therefore, the clarity and attention of the whole scene observed by the eyes are not uniform.

This is the way we look at things. This point has been proved and affirmed by scholars many times. This is a physical fact that you can't challenge!

Remember this, and then come back to discuss the composition. Let's define it this way: good composition is the way for artists to eliminate randomness and arrange readers' attention in a planned way.

Zapero Island Oak

This huge oak tree is obviously the center of interest, and the trees in the background form a counterpoint melody in tune.

When a photo has a good composition, readers will first see the elements that the artist wants them to see most clearly and remember most deeply. Then, they will notice the second important element, and finally the second important element. With good composition, artists can guide readers to interpret photos in a controlled way. No chance to look at the photos. Composition is the way for artists to bring order to a disorderly world. In fact, this is what a dictionary definition needs.

This definition can explain why magnificent scenery is often difficult to turn into good photos. That may be because the scene is too complicated. The eyes receive this scene, then project their eyes, select the most important pieces of information, and then combine other pieces. Photographs or other visual arts must organize this information. If the organization is not good, the reader's eyes will wander aimlessly instead of grasping what the artist wants to express, because it doesn't express anything at all. In this way, the scene is not composed, but is chosen. Photography is different from art, but simply recording scenes will have a serious defect: lack of presence.

? Watch? And then what? Observe through photography? There are obvious differences between them. People may know and appreciate an interesting scene, but they may not organize it into an effective photo. Only those who can create valuable photos from the scene can be regarded as? Observe through photography? The scene. Understanding and using composition is the difference between an artist and a photographer.

A good composition has two important aspects: one is to unify thoughts, and the other is to be concise. The two are closely related.

Unified thinking

? Unified thinking? From the definition of composition in the dictionary above, unify and harmonize the whole? . It means that all the elements in the photo should form a whole, that is, there should be a central idea in the photo. This idea is often understood as a narrower concept, that is, the center of interest.

There is an outstretched tree in the photo, which is located on the edge of an open field. If you want to show this ancient giant tree effectively through photography, you should put it in the background of the sky and let it separate, not in the background of similar trees. Even if it is placed on a similar tree, it should be conspicuous, which can obviously catch your attention, and the tree in the background becomes secondary. This separation, or this obvious prominence, can focus the reader's attention on the tree. Obviously, this tree is the object of the photographer's consideration and what the photo wants to show. This is the center of interest.

The trees in the fog are comparable to the town of Leah.

The theme of this photo is fog. In the lower left corner of the picture, the distant treetops are basically invisible, which has become a surprise of this picture. Without it, the trunk in the fog will still have charming rhythm, but the surprise of the treetops will bring more interest to the image.

However, suppose our theme is fog. So, how do you shoot the fog? How to express the feeling of foggy days? Perhaps one way is to find a group of trees or other objects hidden in the fog. These trees cannot be represented as centers of interest. In fact, every tree cannot become more important (unless it is important in its structural relationship with other trees). However, fog is the unified idea of photos. The fog itself is invisible, because it is white (or gray) and has no fixed shape, but it can make these trees disappear into it, making people obviously notice its existence.

If you focus on a unified idea, your photos will be cohesive. This is similar to a speech. We can focus on a topic instead of flying all over the sky. Be careful not to let? Unified thinking? The scope of has become too wide. Take pictures of everything in front of you and defend yourself? The unified idea of photos is pastoral scenery? This is actually an easy mistake to make.

simple

Simplicity is very necessary for beginners. The simpler the composition, the easier it is to control and guide the reader's attention. The same is true for intermediate or advanced photographers, although the increase of experience and proficiency enables them to simplify and control more complex scenes better and better. This is equally effective for painters and sculptors? Even for all visual artists. This is more effective for composers, but the application object of this concept has changed from audience to audience.

The importance of simplicity cannot be overemphasized. Over the years, I have found that most unsuccessful photographers fail because they are too complicated (assuming their skills are competent, of course), not because they are too simple. Photographers can't explain their ideas clearly and accurately, which will make their photos look uncertain and at a loss. In some cases, this can produce some effect that photographers need, but in most cases, it is negative.

Look at your own works and ask yourself, which one is my goal? Can you refine the answer into a clear point of view? Just try it. Put the book down first, take out some photos of you and analyze whether it is someone else's work. Try to be objective. If you are not sure about the answer to this important question, the photos are often blurred. Is your answer clear, accurate and simple? Or is it complicated, difficult and vague? So, do you deliberately show contradictory or ambiguous feelings? Or do you want to create complicated or chaotic effects? If so, you need to completely change your method to achieve your goal. Pay attention to your intention, and then express it simply and clearly, even if what you intend to express is? I'm confused! ? This may sound contradictory at first glance, but it is not.

At the beginning of this chapter, I suggest you read your work slowly and think about the questions raised in the first chapter. Now, I am doing the same thing again. It seems nagging, but I beg you to do so. If you can spare time to read this book, then connect what you read with your work, so that your time is worth it. This program can also help you better understand yourself, your purpose and methods.

Express one's views.

These self-questioning hints at a deeper question: can your point of view be seen? Without opinions, the image is blurred, which cannot be solved simply or uniformly. Graduation photo University is a very appropriate example. The photographer has no comments or opinions. Every student came over, put on graduation clothes, posed and left. Photographers don't understand students, have no time to understand them, and are not interested in understanding them. As you can imagine, nothing big will happen. Just a face. Simple and unified, but without artistic value.

On a deeper level, unless there is a friendly relationship between the photographer and the protagonist, no attempt can add color to your portrait photography (even if there is no friendly relationship, at least there is substantial communication or a strong first impression). Photographers should know the protagonist, be interested in him, have a certain opinion of him, and try their best to express the protagonist's personality in the strongest way. Sometimes, a photographer must rely heavily on the first impression, because it is often difficult for him to spend enough time to fully understand the protagonist.

Lack of time is a typical problem in every field of photography. Bresson won't spend months studying a street before he starts filming what happened on it. Yusuf? Yousuf karsh couldn't have stayed with Churchill for a few days before shooting that famous portrait. Adam said that he was in a hurry when filming The Moon Comes Out of Yampier Hernandez. A photographer can only have a quick impression of his subject, so his perception and description must be quick and accurate.

Stu is in the Watercurtain Cave Canyon.

Stu Levy is my good friend, an interesting doctor, a keen thinker and an outstanding photographer. When we opened the studio together, I asked to take a portrait of him. I hope to put him in an environment suitable for him, just like in his clinic.

Surprisingly, even if the subject is fixed, such as scenery, the first impression is equally important, because the light and other conditions are constantly changing? Sometimes these changes can be amazing! The scenery is constantly changing, and it is often difficult for a photographer to analyze it slowly, but he must analyze it again. If you can quickly judge your reaction, decide how to convey it, and make a photographic composition based on the principle of simplicity and unity, you are likely to successfully express your thoughts.

Edward? What is Weston's definition of a good composition? The strongest way to watch? . Some people don't like this definition because it doesn't tell us how to compose a picture. However, this is an amazing definition. It obviously avoids the law of composition and deliberately links composition with appreciation. He mentioned it? How ornamental is it? In other words, it refers to the art of creating powerful visual vocabulary. I think Weston will fully agree that simplicity and unity can make photography more expressive.

Simple and complex

Some people's ideas are quite different from those just mentioned, so it is valuable to introduce these ideas, even if it is only a brief introduction. Many contemporary thoughts claim that today's world is complex, disharmonious, broken and heartless. Art is the mirror of society. It is negligence and even absurd to completely deviate from the above factors in order to cater to the outdated view of simplicity and harmony. Just as uncertainty may better express contemporary law, so should these negative factors in life.

This trend of thought points out a completely different path, which is obviously useless. This is not my way, but it may be yours. It depends largely on your point of view, but it has little to do with your topic. Personally, I feel that even if I express the most complicated, confusing and discordant theme by visual means, I should adopt the simple and unified internal principle to achieve the strongest effect? Just like a sharp word will be more powerful than a long speech. To show disharmony and complexity, we must use a more disharmonious and complicated way. I think this is wrong, because it can only express that the world is in chaos and there is no dawn.

In addition, unfortunately, these negative factors are indeed a part of today's world, which is not new. They are always here. When has civilization not been infected by hatred, cruelty, war, conflict and other intractable problems and unpredictable disasters? Art can isolate these puzzles and flaws in a reasonable way, thus illuminating the world. Simple unification is the easiest way for me to understand and the most impactful way. And I must apply this method to most of my creations, but not all of them.

protective coloration

This is probably the most Pollock-like painting in my work.

Can you read what this is? Can you understand it at once? Or will it take a short time?

I think some discordant, complicated and chaotic factors are meaningful and tolerable, but if they are not weakened, they cannot be used to inspire others' intentions. So, are they all artistic enlightenment? Maybe, maybe not. I think so, but your conclusion is your personal choice. This question brings us to the most basic question of art: what is art? Answering this question is as difficult as catching a cloud. Although it is basically impossible to know the answer to this question, what we can rely on is that everyone has his own views, likes and dislikes and boundaries. It can often be condensed into a common sentence:? I don't know what to do, but I know I like it! ? I think art should provide pleasant visual essence extracted from the real or virtual world. For me, unity and simplicity are what I like, but I don't like chaos and disharmony (Chapter 15 "Authenticity, Abstraction and Art of Photography" will discuss this topic in more depth).

Another trend of thought only focuses on simplicity and challenges its lofty status. This view holds that complexity is not only important, but also necessary for any artistic work. For example, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is much greater than Little Star because it is more complicated, although Little Star is in tune. Perfect? And cheerful. I totally agree with this view.

This seems to contradict the above viewpoint, but it can be explained. Of course, the ninth symphony is very complicated, but Beethoven's perfect musical skills keep it under control from beginning to end. Weak composers can't control it like this. Beethoven controlled complexity and dynamics. Similarly, a skilled photographer may be able to control more complicated situations than a beginner. By striving for simplicity, beginners can create valuable photos at the initial stage. With the deepening of his understanding of photography, he can gradually learn to master more complex composition and his self-confidence will be enhanced accordingly. In this way, he can create more meaningful images. I think complexity is necessary for great works of art, but it must be controlled well.

Finally, I want to discuss the view that uncontrolled complexity may also be the key to artistic expression. Think of Pollock, who is highly respected in art criticism. His works can't be said to be simple, although when we watch them, our eyes will find the same elements running through them, thus achieving a visual unity. Scientific analysis shows that fractal features are hidden in these works? In other words, when you look more carefully, you will constantly find that the same structure is developing downwards. This is very attractive both in science and art. But I must admit that Pollock's paintings didn't convey any information to me. I think they are messy, shapeless and boring. I don't agree with most art criticism, but it's only my right. You need to have your own opinion on this topic.

I put forward these ideas for your consideration. If appropriate, integrate them into your way of observation and thinking; If they don't fit, then discard them. This process should be the way you think about photography. Photography is not just a series of actions, holding up the camera, pointing at something, and then pressing the shutter. It is a very thoughtful process, including your views on the shooting scene. It requires creative thinking, which is not easy. The views expressed here are just an inspiration, which will make you think more deeply and be more creative.