Photographic works of sunset in rural areas of Guizhou

20 photographic composition methods that beginners must master

For photography, composition is an important factor to express the content of a work, and it is a process of determining and organizing elements to produce harmonious photos. Learning composition is just like learning a language. Once you learn a language, it becomes a subconscious behavior, which will help you create a better picture.

In this article, Bian Xiao sorted out 20 ways of composition, some of which are very common and some of which you may not be familiar with. So whether you are a novice or an old driver, don't miss this tutorial.

1, trichotomy

Triangular composition should be the most common and basic composition method. This composition method divides the picture into nine equal squares with four straight lines. This composition is vivid and concise. At present, most digital cameras and even mobile phones have built-in nine auxiliary composition lines, which are suitable for all kinds of shooting subjects, the most commonly used are landscapes, people and so on.

In the following two illustrations, the main trees and churches in the picture are placed on the border respectively. Similarly, the horizontal line is also placed on the frame line. This is a very typical three-point composition, which embodies the main body of the picture very vividly.

2. Symmetric synthesis

Symmetrical composition has the characteristics of balance, stability and echo, but its disadvantage is that it is too rigid and lacks change. It is often used to represent symmetrical objects, buildings and objects with special styles.

As shown below, a bridge was photographed. According to the symmetrical characteristics of the bridge itself, it is very suitable for shooting with symmetrical composition.

In fact, the following picture uses a combination of trichotomy and symmetrical composition. In this scene with water surface, the ground and reflection can be well combined by using symmetrical composition up and down.

3. Prospect and sense of depth

The photo itself is flat, but if you add foreground to the picture and shoot it wide-angle, you will have a sense of depth, thus achieving the effect of 3D.

4. Frame composition

Choosing a framed foreground can lead the audience's eyes to the scenery in the frame, highlight the main body and create a sense of depth. Forming a frame around the main image can create a mysterious atmosphere, just like a person peeking at a place from a hiding place. Frame composition is helpful to integrate the main image with the landscape and give the photo greater visual impact.

The following photo was taken in Saint-Kyle Square in Venice. In the picture, the arch frames St. Kyle's church and the bell tower. It is a common painting method in Renaissance to frame the landscape with arches.

Frames are not necessarily arches and windows, but also trunks or leaves. The following photo was taken in kildare County, Ireland. The bridges and houses in the distance were framed with trunks and grass, which increased the depth of the picture.

5. Criteria

Guiding line composition method is to guide the viewer's eyes with the lines in the picture, so that his eyes will finally converge on the focus of the picture. Of course, the guide line is not necessarily a specific line. As long as it is directional and continuous, we can call it a guiding line. In real life, roads, rivers, neatly arranged trees, colors, shadows and even people's eyes can be used as guiding lines.

For example, this photo of the Eiffel Tower uses paving stones as a guide line to bring the audience's eyes to the Eiffel Tower. In this picture, the central symmetry composition method is also used.

The guide line is not necessarily straight, as shown below, the curved road extends to the position of the tree, which can also drive the audience's line of sight.

6. Diagonal lines and triangles

Diagonal and triangular composition can increase the dynamic tension of photos and make them look more vivid. Relatively speaking, the horizontal and vertical lines are very stable. If a person stands on a horizontal plane, it looks stable, but on an inclined plane, it will cause a sense of tension. This composition method is more used in architecture and sports shooting.

7. Patterns and textures

Humans are naturally attracted by patterns, which can be the shape of arches, patterns on the floor, and reliefs on the walls. Taking these as the visual subject of the picture, combined with light and shadow, can show a special texture.

8. Odd number law

The odd number rule means that when the subject in the picture is odd, the picture is more moving visually. For example, if you want to take photos of more than one person, don't take photos of two people, but take photos of three, five or seven people. Of course, this is a stupid idea for wedding photography. But whenever possible, if you take more than just commemorative photos of real life, remember the odd number rule.

9. Fill in the picture

Let the subject fill the picture, leaving little or no space around. It helps the audience to concentrate on the subject without any interference, and also allows people to see the details of the subject clearly.

As shown below, in the first picture, the lion's face fills the whole picture, so that the audience can clearly observe its eyes and hair details. In the second picture, Notre Dame de Paris almost occupies the whole picture, just to show the architectural details.

10, use spaces.

As mentioned above, you should fill the space, but it's just the opposite. Leaving some blanks in the picture can also make your theme obvious and attractive, and at the same time create a minimalist picture.

1 1, simple

People often say: "Less is more". When shooting, let the elements displayed in the picture be as few as possible, sometimes it will present a more impressive visual effect. Make good use of the negative space in the environment and let the audience focus on the subject quickly.

12, separating the subject from the background.

Using shallow depth of field to separate the subject from the background is also a good way to highlight the subject. By using a large aperture, the background becomes blurred and the clear subject suddenly becomes the focus of the picture. This technique is most commonly used in portrait and life sketch shooting.

13, change the perspective.

Nowadays, many cameras have flip screens, and SLR cameras are also equipped with simple and easy-to-use real-time viewing function, which provides great convenience for us to take pictures from unconventional angles. Don't always create at the height of the human eye, try to lower or raise the line of sight, and shoot things from different angles, which can get unexpected results.

14, looking for a specific color combination.

For designers, the combination of colors is very important, but it is easily overlooked in photography. Combining some colors can be more eye-catching visually. Like the color wheel below, two opposite colors are complementary colors. Arranging these two colors in the same picture can make the picture more attractive.

In the night picture below, the blue night sky is combined with the yellow building. Did it catch your eye at once?

15, space principle

The principle of space is to leave a lot of space in the image for the moving object in its forward direction. For example, the ship in the picture below is driving to the right, so you can leave a blank in the picture on the right, so the image will be very dynamic. If you leave a lot of blanks on the left, it will give people the feeling that the boat is about to sail out of sight, which may lead to problems such as the theme is not prominent.

In the following photo, the guitarist faces to the right, so there is a blank space on his right. We can naturally see the scenery on the bridge, passers-by leaning against the railing and dancing couples along his vision.

16, left-to-right rule

The principle of left to right, just like reading a book, we are used to seeing images from left to right. So if the characters in the image are moving, taking the principle of left to right will make people feel more natural and comfortable.

17, keep the picture balanced.

A common mistake made by beginners in photography is to pay too much attention to the subject and not to the matching background or foil. In fact, good photos need to echo the scenery before and after, giving people a sense of patchwork, and properly setting aside the background can also make the subject more prominent. And photos with foreground and background will have a more sense of space.

18, tied

Juxtaposition is a very powerful way of composition. Juxtaposition refers to putting two or more things in the same picture, making them complement each other, making them both play an important role, and telling a story with photos. This way of composition is often used in humanistic themes.

In the picture below, the scattered newsstands stand side by side with the solemn church behind them, which forms a sharp contrast, but they represent Paris in different ways and tell us a different story about the city.

19, the composition of the golden triangle

The composition of the Golden Triangle is very similar to the composition of the trichotomy, except that the straight line here starts from the four corners of the picture and forms two right triangles on the left and right sides. Then put the elements of the picture in these intersecting places.

The golden triangle principle of this picture is applied more skillfully. The heads of the two statues form an invisible diagonal line, which leads people's eyes to the Eiffel Tower. The line on the left coincides with the diagonal of the center of gravity of the Eiffel Tower, and the line on the right coincides with the diagonal between the two sculptures. These two overlapping points are not random points, but the golden section points on the diagonal.

20, the golden ratio

The golden ratio was originally a mathematical law of Leonardo da Vinci? Fibonacci was discovered around 1200. He noticed that this proportion appeared in a large number in nature, and the natural structure design based on it was both practical and beautiful. Although the golden ratio is regarded as a criterion in the field of painting and design, there is not much discussion about it in the photography circle because it is an advanced composition method that many people can't understand. But the golden ratio is not complicated. It's very similar to the composition of the trisection, except that its picture ratio is not1:1,but 1:0.6 18: 1.