Composition (Page 3): I'll enclose my 2 cents. PPA, Professional Photographers of America The Twelve elements listed below are in accordance to their importance. 1. IMPACT 2. TECHNICAL...

Meives Loc: FORT LAUDERDALE

[quote=folkus]I'll enclose my 2 cents.

PPA, Professional Photographers of America

The Twelve elements listed below are in accordance to their importance.

1. IMPACT
2. TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE
3. CREATIVITY
4. STYLE
5. COMPOSITION
6. PRESENTATION
7. COLOR BALANCE
8. CENTER OF INTEREST
9. LIGHTING
10. SUBJECT MATTER
11. TECHNIQUE
12. STORY TELLING

Basil Loc: New Mexico

Meives wrote:

PPA, Professional Photographers of America

The Twelve elements listed below are in accordance to their importance.

1. IMPACT
2. TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE
3. CREATIVITY
4. STYLE
5. COMPOSITION
6. PRESENTATION
7. COLOR BALANCE
8. CENTER OF INTEREST
9. LIGHTING
10. SUBJECT MATTER
11. TECHNIQUE
12. STORY TELLING

Good list and it makes sense. Note that Composition (the topic of this thread ) is just 1/12th of the formula. So much to learn, so little time!

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Two books with lots of interesting information (and some exercises to do):

Bryan Peterson's "Learning to See Creatively"

Michael Freeman's "The Photographer's Eye"

Soft-covered, available from amazon.com for less than $20 each.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Here is an idea. Take a look at TV commercials. Notice where the main item is placed. As these pics are made by some of the best camera operators in the world you can learn from their work. In the TV shows notice where the main characters are placed on the screen (picture). Some times they adhere to the "rules" sometimes not. There is much to be learned here.

Basil Loc: New Mexico

boberic wrote:

Here is an idea. Take a look at TV commercials. Notice where the main item is placed. As these pics are made by some of the best camera operators in the world you can learn from their work. In the TV shows notice where the main characters are placed on the screen (picture). Some times they adhere to the "rules" sometimes not. There is much to be learned here.

I find myself doing just that when I watch movies these days. I also pay attention to lighting and I find myself trying to reverse engineer how they might have done the lighting in certain scenes.

anotherview Loc: California

Use of the word "never" disqualifies this advice as useful for doing photography. For a measured, objective description of the Rule of Thirds and its application, see this write-up at Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds

Apaflo wrote:

Actually that is a common myth rather than a truth... (show quote)

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

[quote=Meives]

folkus wrote:

I'll enclose my 2 cents.

PPA, Professional Photographers of America

The Twelve elements listed below are in accordance to their importance.

1. IMPACT
2. TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE
3. CREATIVITY
4. STYLE
5. COMPOSITION
6. PRESENTATION
7. COLOR BALANCE
8. CENTER OF INTEREST
9. LIGHTING
10. SUBJECT MATTER
11. TECHNIQUE
12. STORY TELLING

Thanks Meives.

Last time I took a photo class, the teacher said this image had IMPACT.
Sometimes you just get lucky.

Sorry. For some reason the image won't display.

Marion

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Basil wrote:

I'm not disagreeing with you, but in my humble opinion, like anything in life, you have to start somewhere to learn anything. Rules of thumb are just that, rules of thumb, not hard and fast rules, but concepts to start with, then expand on. They give you things to consider as you compose. When I took art class 100 years ago, I remember being taught basic concepts first.

The point is they should never be taught as "Rules", because they are not.

There are many good guidelines on where to start thinking about composition. That is the way it should be taught. A place to start, but not the end all of composition. Instead we get people saying they were "told by a pro in 1956 to do it ...", and they have been doing it that way for all those years. They accidentally got it right at least twice.

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

[quote=Meives]

folkus wrote:

I'll enclose my 2 cents.

PPA, Professional Photographers of America

The Twelve elements listed below are in accordance to their importance.

1. IMPACT
2. TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE
3. CREATIVITY
4. STYLE
5. COMPOSITION
6. PRESENTATION
7. COLOR BALANCE
8. CENTER OF INTEREST
9. LIGHTING
10. SUBJECT MATTER
11. TECHNIQUE
12. STORY TELLING

I cannot add an attachment, for some reason.

Clemens Loc: Maryland

I have followed Mike Browne for years with his video clips. He got about 200 clips. I teach as well but it is limited to the construction industry. I have learned a lot from him how he explain things in photography.It is very down to earth and easy to understand. Watch him and you will love this guy how he does things. Hardest part for me always was how to explain topics in photography without getting to technical.

folkus wrote:

Hi Folks - I have spent way too much time looking ... (show quote)

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

For me the single most valuable practice is viewing the frame as a frame. Don't only look at your subject in the viewfinder, "step back" and look at the edges of the frame. When I have time framing. I squint my eye so that I can't pick out detail in the frame and thus my attention shifts to the relationship of elements in the frame: the distribution of mass, rather that the details which inevitably draw the eye.

Because the fact is that you look at a picture differently than you look through a viewfinder or even at an LCD.

My greatest lesson was shooting with a Hassy with waist level finder. Looking down instead of straight ahead completely changes the way the eye sees the frame, because it breaks the normal neurological connection of hand and eye.

If you have an articulated screen try it. You'll find you have a totally different sense of the frame.

folkus

I just have to give a loud and sincere thank you to all of you who took the time and interest to share your composition thoughts with me. I have my work cut out for me and now the opportunity is in my lap to learn from your assistance. What a great compilation of experience you all offered. You all do the UHH proud. I am so glad I went from just reading to engaging with you all.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

kymarto wrote:

...
If you have an articulated screen try it. You'll find you have a totally different sense of the frame.

A hint I learned on UHH: if you shoot raw, set the camera's jpg style to b&w. Then you have a similar "unreal" view of your scene when using live view or playback. The scene becomes about light, shapes, balance when viewed in b&w. But you still have your color raw file to pp normally.

shangyrhee Loc: Nashville TN to Sacramento CA

Thank you all participants for their insight.understanding and recommendations for this important subject. Shang

folkus

Thanks, Linda. I have been using LR and flipping it back and forth from color to b&w there. Now I have another option - and before I leave the scene!!