We have talked a lot (and we will talk) about composition in this blog, because composition is the language of photography, it is our way of ordering the observer’s gaze, it is, in short, our way of conveying our idea.
And what better way to focus all knowledge on composition than by doing it specifically?So, following our line of express tips that we have already developed for portraits, street photography, black and white, landscapes, travel and children’s photography, we continue with 100 express tips on composition, so you can find focused everything you need to know. composition at a glance.
- According to the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language (RAE).
- Composition in photography is the art of uniting characters and combining the elements necessary to create a plastic work as harmonious and balanced as possible.
2. Es to say that this is how we have to distribute the different elements of the image in the frame but, above all,
3. Es as well as highlighting a point of interest or a protagonist of the image, helping us with the different elements of the composition.
4. No forget the power of the human element to attract our attention as a natural focus.
5. Forget the focus, which we always do when we start in photography, you can do it from time to time, but in general avoid it.
6. Es best search for one of the thirds of the image to locate the point of interest; what we know as the rule of thirds.
7. Use the law of the horizon in general in your landscapes, which is the one that recommends giving 2/3 of the framing space to the area you want to highlight (heaven or earth).
8. Remember to try to prevent the horizon from falling (uns selected).
9. Lines are one of the best ways you will find in the composition to guide the viewer’s gaze.
Vertical lines are associated with growth, strength, stiffness and height, as they tend to escape our usual viewing angle.
11. The horizontals mark the usual direction of many of your daily acts. We generally associate horizontal lines with tranquility, peace and quiet.
12. Diagonals are lines with a lot of tension, have a lot of visual strength and create very interesting perspectives.
13. Curved lines are those most associated with movement, they are fluid, smooth, dynamic, sensual and elegant, and allow you to walk, look at the image more slowly than straight lines.
14. The escape point is a line-based composition element that has a lot of force, here are the lines of an image, that is, the lines (real or not) that project the elements of an image are found.
15. Repetitive patterns help you create a visual rhythm
16. No forget to break the beat from time to time with an article to avoid annoying images.
17. In cities, you can help yourself with architectural elements such as pedestrian crossings, windows, etc. to play with the rhythm.
18. In the landscape, you will also find rhythm everywhere, on tree trunks or on the petals of a flower, for example.
19. Also vertically framed: the possibilities of composition are duplicated:
20. For example for architecture, portraits and vertical shapes in general.
21. In portraits, don’t forget the law of the gaze: give? Air? (leave space) where the gaze is directed.
22 Of course, don’t forget to keep your eyes in focus
23. Especially the closest to the target.
24. And ideally located in one third of the frame.
25. Does the balance of the image work thanks to the visual weight of the elements (their degree of attraction), which is caused by?
26. Color: Warm colors have a higher visual weight
27. La brightness: The lower the brightness, the higher the visual weight (darker).
28. Saturation: the higher the saturation, the higher the visual weight.
29. La size: a larger size equals more visual weight
30. Situation in the frame: The elements of the top of the frame weigh more than those at the bottom.
31. Contrast: everything that stands out from the rest draws our attention and therefore has a greater visual weight.
32. Use a negative space (area without relevant information around the protagonist) to draw attention to your interest.
33. Use the odd number rule, which says an image dominated by odd numbers (1, 3, 5?Only in pairs) attracts us more.
34. We are especially attracted to number 3, for its dynamism, tension and narrative strength, so you know it ;-).
35. Here you can take inspiration from a selection of images with all three as protagonists.
36. But let us not forget what good symmetry can bring us, for example, even if it is peer-based.
37. Help yourself with reflections in puddles, mirrors and crystals to obtain symmetries and give a touch of originality to the image.
38. Take care of the background, remember that it should help you highlight the protagonist of the image, not divert attention from it.
39. If the background does not convince you, move
40. Move your protagonist.
41. Or open the aperture as much as possible to make it blurry.
42. You can also make it blurry using a long focal length
43. La depth of field is another composition element.
44. You can use it to play with the blur of your image and decide which elements you include and which you don’t.
45. Et even helps you play with bokeh, a nice effect where they exist ;-).
46. Do not crowd the frames, less so practice with minimalism
47. This will make it easier for you to control the elements and the image will be more attractive and easier to read for the viewer than in an image with too many things.
48. In a nut words; simplification is an essential part of the composition.
49. Come closer, do not be afraid to fill the frame
50. Et even to cut heads into portraits if necessary ;-).
51. Use natural frames to frame and highlight your protagonist or interest.
52. Use the point of view to completely change the perception of a scene and give it a more original touch:
53. Haché: these are the images taken from top to bottom, the effect is a dwarf of the subject.
54. Contre-chopped: from the bottom up, the result is the opposite of the previous one, the subject seems much older, stronger and more imposing.
55. Or a normal point of view, if there is 😉
56. To combat the two-dimensionality of photos and avoid flat images, it is better to try to add depth.
57. You can do this from different perspectives:
58. Linear perspective where lines converge at exhaust points giving a depth impression.
59. Or the aerial or atmospheric perspective where the farthest planes appear less light and bluish, which the eye interprets so far (cold colors?Get away?).
60. Or play with different planes to increase depth
61. Et even with different lenses (shorter focal length, the sense of depth is accentuated).
62. Use scale: you can help contextualize its size by comparing two objects of different sizes.
63. Or if, on the other hand, you want to deliberately play with the confusion of the viewer, you can eliminate everything that refers to the size of the image, such as the horizon or other identifiable objects that surround it.
The texture 64. La is another element of composition, which can help you identify elements of the image as well as transmit tactile sensations to the viewer.
65. Remember that the texture depends not only on what the elements have in themselves, but also on the angle at which light affects the object.
66. La side lighting is the one that best improves textures and volume.
67. On the other hand, the front light reduces textures, keep that in mind if you want to play with texture as an element of interest in your image.
68. Experiment with the key: or what is the same, with the overall tone of the photo.
69. High pitch refers to images dominated by light tones (without being overexposed)
70. La key refers to an image dominated by the dark tones of the image (without the image being underexposed).
71. La color is a fundamental element of the composition and gives it a lot of play.
72. Use it to create a contrast between elements, for example, between complementary (or discordant) colors or what is the same, those on opposite sides of the color wheel (e. g. yellow and blue).
73. O. to create harmony between them using those immediately on the sides of the colour wheel (e. g. orange and yellow).
74. Sometimes reducing the color palette of an image creates images that are easier to read by making them more attractive in terms of composition,
75. For example, on a foggy night
76. Play with warm tones (orange, red or yellow) that seem to advance in the image.
77. Or in cool tones (green, lilac, blue?) That seem to go backwards, in this way different sensations can be transmitted to the viewer.
78. Learn how to work with black and white as a compostive element
79. To help you convey abstraction,
80. Timelessness,
81. Formalism
82. Elegance or mystery.
83. No forget the power of light. Light is everything.
84. Use projectors to highlight a small part of your scene, for example, a dancer on stage.
85. Or even light up when you want to highlight the whole scene equally.
86. La orientation is also critical to conveying one message or another.
87. Side light: increases texture and volume
88. Front light: reduces texture but increases details.
89. While the light above: in the portraits creates marked shadows under the eyes, nose and chin.
90. Et of course, don’t forget to play with the intensity of the light:
91. La light is diffused to generate softer, tenderer or more romantic images,
92. Or a hard light to create contrast, impact, strength, drama and hardness.
93 The absence of light is another powerful element of composition
94. Play with the shadows of the stage,
95. Et with the backlights, both evoke and show untaught, are formal and abstract and give a lot of play.
96. Look at the compositions when you see other people’s photos
97. Of course it’s yours. Analyze and correct yourself without fear.
98. La painting or cinema are other arts whose composition is liked :-).
99. Practice and propose exercises and objectives such as these
100. Create your own rules, then break them, never settle for a single image, move, turn around, be original and most importantly, find your own style.
So far, these 100 express composition tips (you say fast?). I hope they made you appreciate it, but above all I hope they encourage you to put at least 10 into practice tonight (well, tomorrow, if you want) and encourage someone else to do it with you by sharing this article on your social networks. Thank you very much for reading so far and until the next :-).