In the blog we have the opportunity to be in contact with many amateur photographers who make us research, give us ideas or make us doubt our knowledge. Today I would like to share with you what are the most recurring questions about photographic composition, which is the aspect that makes you most doubt when it comes to framing your photographs.
Maybe some of the questions you’ve always asked yourself will have their answer in this article, so stick around and I’ll try to find an answer that fits your needs.
- This is definitely the first question we should ask ourselves when thinking about a photograph.
- The most important thing in a photographic composition is undoubtedly to define an approach.
The focus is the protagonist of the scene, which caught our attention so much that it prompted us to take our photograph. A focus can be a person, a landscape, or a simple detail.
Once defined, composition and focus cannot work without the other, because it is through composition that we will emphasize and direct our gaze towards our protagonist.
Framing is like a blank canvas, with the added difficulty that there will be times when we can’t change all the elements at will. That’s why it’s so important to know where we place our protagonist.
It is said that the gaze is strongly directed to certain areas of the image, these points are known as strengths and are based on the rule of third parties which, in turn, comes from the golden section.
By focusing on one of these points, our gaze immediately turns to him.
Another question about the photographic composition that we usually receive is whether or not it is possible to center an image, is it correct in terms of composition?
Following the previous point, one might think that, it must be recognized that centering is not an option in terms of correct composition, now photography is an art and, as such, does not always understand rules and conventions.
Personally, I like to focus, I do it often, as well as I usually use the rule of thirds, I think that each person has their style and that each photograph is a world, which may require a completely different treatment to another.
I would say that the trick is to be aware of what we do at all times and not to do it out of inertia or disrecognise.
Speaking photographically, isn’t it? When we talk about cutting heads, we talk very closely, a type of plane in which you can cut your forehead and even your protagonist’s chin.
This is, for me, the delicate part of an image. Decide what will be part of it and work to exclude those I’m not interested in.
Only those who provide information relevant to your image should be part of your image. Therefore, you should pay close attention to all the details surrounding the center of interest of your photograph.
Whatever’s left, try to get it out of the frame, either approaching the protagonist, varying the point of view or blurring the background.
This is one of the first questions about photographic composition that I asked myself when I started in this world, learning to blur the background is one of those photography lessons that will mark a before and after in your photographs.
Blur is controlled by opening the diaphragm. This regulates not only the amount of light we let through the lens, but also what we call the depth of field or focused area of the image.
As you can see in the graph above, the more we open the diaphragm, the more light we let through the sensor and, at the same time, the more we can blur the background.
Remember to always focus your gaze, they are the fundamental part of any portrait.
If you see manual mode, currently inaccessible, learn how to use semi-manual aperture priority mode, where you’ll tell your camera what aperture value you want, and the camera will automatically compensate for speed for good exposure.
To understand semi-manual modes, I recommend this article
Another composition question that we should ask ourselves before pressing the shutter button is whether we want this image in color or in black and white. Because, while it may seem the same to you, although you may think it’s as easy as taking an editing program and doing some tests, the reality is that a color photo or a black-and-white photo takes a different approach even before you press the button. Trigger.
When color is the protagonist in itself, or when it has significant weight in the narrative of your image, either because it contrasts or because it highlights the focus, then it clearly opts for the color option.
Black and white is more related to shape, abstraction, contrast, lines or documentary style.
Lines are a fundamental element of any composition, because they are able to direct our gaze through the framing as if it were an arrow, each type of line provides different sensations.
The way we distribute the elements in the frame through their visual weight is what helps us achieve a balanced image, the visual weight is the degree of attraction of each element, which is determined by the contrast of light and the direction in which the elements move.
You have several ways to play with balance
I leave you with this complete article on balance in composition where you can study all these aspects in depth.
It’s one of those composition questions that we’d all like to know but that luckily or unfortunately doesn’t have a single answer.
An interesting composition is the sum of a thousand decisions that we make when taking a photo, the place where we place the focus, the elements that we include or not, but above all, it is the story behind our image that captures the viewer or not.
Finally, I would like to offer you some resources that I think can bring some originality or interest when looking for different compositions:
And so far, this article with frequently asked questions about photo composition. Did you like it? If you can think of more, do not hesitate to leave us a comment. Oh, and don’t forget to share it before you run out and take pictures so more people can enjoy it?. Thank you very much and we will read it in the next article.