Welcome to Principles of

Composition

How to shoot like a pro…

Remember…

Cameras don’t shoot good

pictures, people do!

#1: Rule of Thirds•The placement of the subject and/or

horizon into 1/3 of the frame, not in

the center.

You might naturally place your

subject dead center in the middle of

the screen:

Which one is correct?

2.) Where to Place Your Subject

The Rule of Thirds tells us to place main elements where the

lines intersect, so where the red dots are. Those red dots are

referred to as power points.

• Now, in 10 minutes and using the area

around the student center…..

• -Take atleast 1 photo using the RULE

OF THIRDS!

• -Save the photo in IPHOTO and label

Rule of Thirds. I will come around and

check this during class today!

#2 Horizon• Where the earth meets the sky.

• Use rule of thirds for placing the

horizon.

There’s something about a horizontal

line in an image that conveys a

message of ‘stability’ or even ‘rest’.

Keep your Horizontal lines horizontal and square with the

edges of your images frame.

The horizon line is

centered in this

photograph, breaking

the image into 2

distinct halves.

Moving the

horizon line,

isolates and places

more emphasis on

the rock.

Horizon lines- man made

• Now, in 10 minutes and using the area

around the grotto…..BE very quiet

• -Take atleast 1 photo establishing a

horizon line.

• -Save the photo in IPHOTO and label

Rule of Thirds. I will come around and

check this & rule of thirds during class

today!

#3 Background

• The area behind the subject; it generally

gives information on the subject.

• Check to make sure the background is

not too busy.

Foreground vs. background? What is foreground? Background?

Background vs. Foreground

Background: The area behind

the subject; it generally gives

information on the subject.

Which one is better??

Why?

-Foreground vs.

background

Now, in 10 minutes and using the area around the student

center…..BE very quiet Take at least 1 photo establishing a

background

1. Save the photo in IPHOTO and label background

2. I have decided not to use flickr in class since it has a limit on the

number of photos you can upload.

3. We will be storing your photos in GROUP R- Digital

Photography-Nelson

-NAME YOUR BACKGROUND FILE:

last name first initial_ background_08_21_12

EX. bnelson_background_08_21_12

#4 Strong Center of Interest

or

FOCAL POINT

* This is when your eye goes

directly to a main subject.

This is when your eye goes directly to a main subject.

FOCAL POINT

• Now, in 10 minutes and using the area

around the student center…..BE very

quiet Take at least 1 photo.

• Save the photo in IPHOTO and label

focal point.

• 3. Save your photo in GROUP R-

Digital Photography-Nelson• -NAME YOUR FILE:

last namefirstinitial _focalpoint_08_23_12.jpg

#5: Filling the Frame• The subject takes up the whole image area

• Still think about the negative space!

People:

This technique is particularly important when taking

pictures of people whose facial features tend to disappear

when you move more than a few meters away from them

• But, still remember the rule of thirds!

It’s not always about Macro Photo’s though!

• Take the subject and make it the most

important part!

• Save as: bnelson_fill_09_12_12.jpg

#6 Perspective/Point of View

* Change the angle between

the camera and the subject.

#7 Framing

• Using elements in the photograph to

create a border around the subject, thus

focusing attention to it.

#8 Leading Line

* A line that directs your eye

from foreground to background,

often directly to the subject.

Leading Line includes:

• Horizontal line - side to side

• Vertical line - up and down

• Diagonal line - corner to corner

• Remember to check lines in the picture to see if they work for your composition.

• Ask yourself, where do the lines in the picture move your eye?

# 9: S-Curve

S-curve is soothing… Look for

winding roads or rivers or

even a tree branch.

#10: Form

• when an object appear 3 dimensional,

as though you could move around it

#11: Texture

•when an object looks as

though you could actually feel

the surface such as rough,

smooth, soft

#12: Pattern/Shape

• shape appears 2 dimensional,

flat. Pattern is the repetition of

shape.

#13: Color

*When color is the main purpose

of the photo. Bright colors are

used.