Diagonal composition for beautiful portraits

Introduction: Diagonal composition refers to the line connecting the two opposite corners of an object in the frame. It is a highly directional composition form. Below we use specific illustrations to explain the beauty of composition in shooting. The posture and the movement of the viewpoint in the composition are combined to form an ideal picture.

1. Create a diagonal composition through beautiful diagonal lines

Diagonal lines have a sense of change and movement. When expressing static, vertical or horizontal lines can express a serious or tranquil atmosphere. When expressing the subject's dynamics, curves and diagonal lines are often used. In commercial photography, most of the photos are lively, which requires us to mobilize the body language of the subjects to create a dynamic picture.

In the frontal photo, if the head is also upright, the photo will tend to lack changes. In the three-part or close-up of the head, it will look like a ID photo, so we need to turn the head upside down when taking the photo. and rotate the direction of the face to add richness and variety to the photo.

Figure 1

In the frontal photo of Figure 1, we use the model’s head tilted to one side to form the diagonal line of the picture. In order to make the tilted head look more natural, We can use the beauty of the hands and the echo of the head for support.

Figure 2

In the photo of the sextuplets in Figure 2, we tilt the head towards the upper right corner of the screen to form a diagonal line, because the head echoes the lower left corner of the screen. Create a diagonal composition.

When taking side photos, you should pay attention to:

Figure 3

In the side photo in Figure 3, the model’s body leans forward toward the legs, so that the head and The waist forms a diagonal line. The extent of the tilt depends on our composition. We can see in the viewfinder that the head is close to the upper left corner of the frame and forms a diagonal line with the body part at the lower right of the composition. When cropping, we often place the face in the center of the picture, so that the other diagonal diagonal line is formed through the echo of the face and hands.

Figure 4

Figure 4 uses the beautiful posture of the model leaning forward to echo the upper left corner and lower right corner of the picture. At the same time, the flower in the hand and the raised face form the upper right corner of the picture. Echoes the lower left corner. This kind of double-diagonal shooting is also a commonly used one. We often need to adjust the amplitude of the beautiful pose in the viewfinder to achieve accurate composition.

In the sitting posture in Figure 5, the model’s legs and head naturally form a diagonal line. When cropping the picture, we need to observe and choose from the viewfinder, and intercept the beauty that can form the diagonal line of the picture. For the posture part, you can also adjust the part of the body that does not meet the needs of the composition. The key parts during adjustment are at both ends of the diagonal, that is, the model's head or legs. We can set one end first and then adjust the other end.

Figure 5

Figure 6

In the full-body photo of Figure 6, the woman’s skirt, head and the man’s head form a diagonal line in the picture. When composing a picture, arrange the diagonal lines on the diagonal line of the picture to form a diagonal composition. The beauty of the two people is often composed of high and low. When the two are high and low, the diagonal line between the high and low forms the picture. We just need to arrange the two ends of the diagonal line on the diagonal line of the picture. The diagonal line divides the picture into two right-angled triangles, so although the diagonal composition is slanted, it still gives people psychological stability.

2. Create a diagonal composition through the echo between the beautiful posture and the background, props and space

In the diagonal composition, we do not only create it through the lines of the beautiful posture, but also through the lines of the beautiful posture. You can also form a diagonal relationship through the echo between the beautiful posture and other parts of the picture.

Figure 7

In the pictorial photo in Figure 7, the main pattern on the background is a big flower. We can deliberately arrange the beautiful posture diagonally below the flower to contrast with the pattern. Angular relationship, when adjusting, pull the hem of the skirt at the same time so that the head of the skirt forms a diagonal angle on the other side. This arrangement can make the picture more static and stable. In commercial photography, there are many patterns on the background that are not evenly distributed. We can adjust the position and height of the characters to echo the patterns on the background.

When shooting, we can often use various props and the beauty of the subject to form a diagonal line. For example, tall people and low props will form a diagonal line, or vice versa. You can also use the props in the hands of the subject to form diagonal lines with the main lines of the body, and use various camera positions flexibly.

Figure 8

In Figure 8, I used a high camera position to take an overhead shot. In order to make the composition of the picture fuller, I asked the model to put the bouquet in the corner of the picture. , and adjust the model's face to form a diagonal line together with the bouquet of flowers to form the diagonal line of the picture.

What I mentioned above are all diagonal compositions formed by adjusting the beautiful posture. In actual shooting, the beautiful posture and composition affect each other, and we will also deliberately adjust the camera angle to achieve the desired result. Change the perspective of viewing.

Figure 9

In Figure 9, the model’s shoulders moving forward are located in the lower right corner of the picture, so they form an echo with the space in the upper left corner; the raised face We deal with the diagonal line formed by the upper right corner and the lower left corner of the picture. The diagonal composition formed in this way is more natural and attractive.

3. Forming a diagonal composition through inverted camera position

Inverted camera position is a special technique in photography composition techniques. We generally use it in two situations, one is It is to deliberately straighten some unchangeable slanted lines by rotating the camera during shooting; the other is to pursue the dynamics of the picture or maximize the use of the length of the picture, and rotate the camera during shooting to put the subject in the right position. On the diagonal relationship of the picture.

Figure 10

In Figure 10, we rotate the camera so that the model’s hands, head, and body are on the diagonal from the lower left corner to the upper right corner of the screen. Above, in order to make the static beauty more stable, the model’s face is also on the diagonal line formed by the upper left corner and lower right corner of the picture when composing the picture