Cropping Out Background Stuff VS Rule of Thirds
Apr 30, 2018 13:25:06 #
Ron Dial
Loc: Cuenca, Ecuador
If you are working in Photoshop, you can set up a Gaussian blur layer and then mask out the foreground, so you end up blurring the background. Adjust the level of transparency for the blur layer to make it less visible.
Apr 30, 2018 13:28:08 #
Rather than relying on post-processing ( taking up more time as well) , try to get it set up better when you first take the shot. Look at the entire frame, not just the subject at hand.
Apr 30, 2018 14:05:26 #
Charles P
Loc: Southern Central NY State
LarryFB wrote:
Linda From Maine has made a number of posts on this, and she is absolutely right!
Yes she is! Rule of thirds should rather be thought of as suggestion of thirds, and while many images greatly benefit from it, there are also many instances where it's not needed or even useful.
Apr 30, 2018 14:21:50 #
I use the rule of thirds, but I violate it often if the foreground or background adds or detracts from the subject, with emphasis on adds... and it's not set in stone... that is what guide means...
Apr 30, 2018 14:28:18 #
hookedupin2005
Loc: Northwestern New Mexico
tomcadman wrote:
Okay... so for "occasion photos" crop out the background junk, when possible, with less adherence to the rules, if necessary... yet, I do find the rules often make the "occasion photo" more appealing, so... maybe sometimes such photos call for using repair tools on the background objects to keep the appealing crop?
Keep in mind that MOST photo subjects have no clue of the "rule", so, as one put it, all they care about is how good they look.
Apr 30, 2018 15:08:35 #
https://www.adorama.com/alc/0008272/article/Portrait-composition-rules-and-when-to-break-them
You might also look into the rule of fifths, lesser known than the rule of thirds.
You might also look into the rule of fifths, lesser known than the rule of thirds.
Apr 30, 2018 18:49:05 #
tomcadman
Loc: SoCal USA
dennis2146 wrote:
I see you are somewhat new to the forum. Welcome aboard and good luck with your photos.
If you start clicking on, "Quote Reply", before answering, it will let us know exactly who you are referring back to. Believe me it helps a lot when the thread gets longer.
Dennis
If you start clicking on, "Quote Reply", before answering, it will let us know exactly who you are referring back to. Believe me it helps a lot when the thread gets longer.
Dennis
Thanks, Dennis... I am now less ignorant than before. ;-)
Apr 30, 2018 19:05:06 #
tomcadman
Loc: SoCal USA
What a generous group! Thanks for all the input...
FYI... the group of images I was dealing with was a bunch of test shots I took when I arrived a little early. I was wandering the room, and as guests began to arrive, I took on the fly, impromptu, quick-posed photos that later turned out to be some of the best nearly-candid shots of the evening. I was focusing on quick settings adjustments (from the earliest advice in this thread) and the subjects, but was not evaluating the background much... thus, the need for some deeper post-processing work which prompted the original question.
Thanks again to all... and here are some of the results of all your advice for these 'early arrival' shots: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmf1pmbL
FYI... the group of images I was dealing with was a bunch of test shots I took when I arrived a little early. I was wandering the room, and as guests began to arrive, I took on the fly, impromptu, quick-posed photos that later turned out to be some of the best nearly-candid shots of the evening. I was focusing on quick settings adjustments (from the earliest advice in this thread) and the subjects, but was not evaluating the background much... thus, the need for some deeper post-processing work which prompted the original question.
Thanks again to all... and here are some of the results of all your advice for these 'early arrival' shots: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmf1pmbL
Apr 30, 2018 20:10:13 #
tomcadman wrote:
Thanks again to all... and here are some of the results of all your advice for these 'early arrival' shots: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmf1pmbL
So glad you shared these shots. Very, very enjoyable!
May 3, 2018 08:38:20 #
Dun1
Loc: Atlanta, GA
I see examples in ads daily and some work done by far more advanced photographers where the rule of thirds might have been violated. It is meant as a guide, brings me to the example used at times comically, a photographer focuses the camera then holds up his thumb. It is merely a guide. My rule of course as Jerry stated is the crop should eliminate the distractions you do not wish to have in your image/frame. It's you call what you wish to capture
May 3, 2018 09:23:35 #
Rule of thirds is not Law of thirds. Sweet 16 pics should be of attendees, giddy teenage girls, etc. Strictly put, rule of thirds do not apply here as far as I am concerned.
May 3, 2018 09:53:03 #
The rule of thirds is one approach to composition. But there are a lot of others such as framing, leading lines, balancing elements, symmetry, negative space, isolation, etc...
May 3, 2018 14:28:40 #
Glad you worked it out. "Rule of Thirds" is just a trick shortcut to a much more basic and complex type of composition, balance, which is itself but one of, roughly, five compositional principles. I suggest you go the the composition or graphic design section of your library, pull down a few books from the section, and check out the one you like best. The "rules" are pretty much the same, their presentation and grouping sometimes different.
May 3, 2018 17:26:26 #
artBob wrote:
Glad you worked it out. "Rule of Thirds" is just a trick shortcut to a much more basic and complex type of composition, balance, which is itself but one of, roughly, five compositional principles. I suggest you go the the composition or graphic design section of your library, pull down a few books from the section, and check out the one you like best. The "rules" are pretty much the same, their presentation and grouping sometimes different.
There is even a composition technique based on the spiral of a shell called the golden ratio (1 to 1.618)! It shows up in famous works like "The Wave"; "Mona Lisa" and a little piece known as "The Last Supper"
May 3, 2018 23:27:41 #
tomcadman wrote:
I am currently working on the Sweet Sixteen photos I shot last night, and I am running into a mild quandary...
While cropping, is it better to violate the rule of thirds alignment in order to eliminate background items? Or is there another way to deal with background items and maintain Rule of Thirds?
Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
While cropping, is it better to violate the rule of thirds alignment in order to eliminate background items? Or is there another way to deal with background items and maintain Rule of Thirds?
Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
On a "Sweet Sixteen" photo, you want everything to put attention on the subject. You should be able to choose where the photo is taken, so you should start off with a location having nothing in the background, or anywhere else, that would take attention away from the subject; you don't have to make everything else bland - it just needs to complement the subject. There is no reason to 'fix' an issue in PP when that issue can be prevented when you take the photo.
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