Introduction to photographic composition skills

Introduction: In addition to basic equipment applications (such as photometry and focusing), composition is also a very important topic for beginners. Good composition is an important element in taking good photos. Now let's look at some basic composition rules!

(1) Appropriate trade-offs

One of the most common problems that novices make is "greed", and they really want to take all the photos they see, but this will make the photos too complicated and messy, lack a clear theme, and prevent readers from seeing the theme you want to express. So the first rule is to know how to choose, omit and delete appropriately, and don't have both, so that the theme of the photo will become prominent.

The picture is chaotic and there is no clear theme.

Only one or two flowers are selected for close-up, and the theme is prominent.

(2) prioritize.

Lord is the protagonist, the subject, what the photographer wants to express most, and "time" is a supporting role, which is used to cooperate with the existence of the protagonist. In photos, we can use foreground, middle scene, background and depth of field, distance, position, color and so on. Make clear the priorities and impress the readers.

Stone is the foreground, running water is the middle scene, and trees and sky are the background.

Highlight the theme with color. The photo was taken by japi 14.

Shallow depth-of-field photos taken with a camera highlight the theme.

(C) the use of symmetry and balance

In addition to the theme, the composition of a photo needs to be "balanced" and cannot be staggered, otherwise the reader will be uncomfortable. When shooting, you can try to balance the picture in terms of "vision", especially the weight of "vision". I have read a book, which roughly summarizes the "visual weight" as follows:

* Dark colors are heavier than light colors.

* Darkness is heavier than light.

* A large area is heavier than a small area.

* Thick lines are heavier than thin lines.

* Density is heavier than sparsity.

* Near is heavier than far.

* Rocks are heavier than trees

* Trees are heavier than water.

The thick line is below, and the picture looks stable. The photo was taken by Todo Juanjo.

Use the reflection of water to achieve a sense of balance

There is a visual balance between the dead wood below and the black tree above.

(d) The composition should be stable.

Steady, in fact, is not to make the picture "big head and thin body" or "light on it" Chang Ran doesn't want every photo to be honest and fair, but at least he doesn't feel "crooked". This is also related to the symmetrical balance in (3), so you can refer to it more.

All colored flowers are placed at the bottom of the picture, and the composition is more stable. Pictures of Martin Hagen

Below are thick trunks and dark grass, and there are also large and small trees on the left and right to balance the picture.

Note: This is a "bad" example. The sea level is crooked, making people feel uncomfortable.

(E) the use of contrast

We can use contrast to highlight the theme or make the picture interesting. Basically, there are five comparison methods that can be used well:

Light and shade: use one bright and one dark to set off the theme.

Shadows bring themes like midnight digital photo frames.

Size: Use the contrast of volume to highlight the theme.

Little people show the width of the beach. Today is a good day.

Distance: use distant scenery to highlight nearby themes (and vice versa)

The distant peaks show a flock of sheep nearby, which makes the picture more "deep" and "spatial". The photo was taken by Jule in Berlin.

Color: Use the sharp contrast of colors to highlight the theme.

White snow highlights the yellow cat photo of Jetta girl.

If you put on a white puppy, the effect will not be so outstanding. Photographs taken by jpctalbot

Height: Height can be the actual height, or "looking up" can be used to mean "height". This method is often used to photograph buildings.

Use "Looking Up" to express the height of international finance centre Phase II.

(6) Echo each other

Echoing each other can actually be regarded as a continuation of using contrast. Sometimes two independent things appear on the same screen, which will produce interesting "connections" and give readers a fantasy space. For example, the appearance of children can set off adults, and a low hill can show another more magnificent hill and even bring out deeper meaning. Look at the following example:

The appearance of two swans just formed a heart, which brought another meaning to Darragh Sherwin's photos.

conclusion

Composition is an important but abstract thing. The above are just some basic writing skills, but in any case, the most important thing in writing is to make readers feel comfortable, show depth and bring out meaning better.