COMPOSITION

Intro

If ONE component is the definitive measure of what makes or breaks a photo, it’s composition. Composition refers to how the subjects (elements the viewer is intended to focus upon) are related. This refers to not only their relationship in the frame, but also to one another, with consideration for even their environment. Ultimately composition is concerned with the subject(s) and the environment, their balance, relationship, and the use of the frame. To be clear, images do NOT need to be symmetrical to be pleasing/engaging, but generally they do follow rules. Some rules are constants, for instance the rules pertaining to colour harmonies we’ll explore below; others are a bit more adaptable such as many of the most common compositional rules. Feel free to consider many of the compositional rules as guidelines intended to enable you to find success in leading or retaining your viewer’s attention to key elements such as your subject(s).

If your image is composed effectively, the image should lead the viewer along a pathway, or towards a specific subject, so as to encourage them to connect or contemplate. This can be done through a number of methods, but there are a good number of things to consider, such as if the subject is facing towards the center of the frame or away from it. Let’s explore considerations that a photographer should make when composing an image.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF IMAGERY: Leading the Eye

Generally, the most effective way to structure your composition involves ensuring that nothing leads the viewer’s eye out of the frame. The moment the viewer follows a compositional element towards the edge of your frame and beyond, you are no longer drawing them to remain with your image. Consider this, imagine an image where the subject looks to have a really engaging and extreme reaction to something, and they’re looking directly at whatever it might be, but the focus of their response (the action, item, or scene they’re viewing) is not shown in the frame. Such an approach may be exploited as a psychological tool to encourage the viewer to consider something - perhaps the theme of a body of images. Yet generally that type of approach would be short lived in retaining the viewer, and we tend not to employ that type of approach to maintain engagement.

There are a number of means however, by which we can focus the viewer to take note and contemplate/connect with a point of interest. Start with trying to recognize what the viewer will be drawn by and emphasizing it. You may employ a manipulation of a number of elements, but the key ones to consider are as follows:

Colour - Colours can be very impactful and draw the viewer’s eye. Recognizing the psychological association and impacts of a hue can be an incredibly effective means by which to draw a viewer to the intended subject.

Size - Contrasting the subject(s) with their environment and/or one another is an incredibly effective way of drawing attention or leading the eye. Consider shifting subject positions so that you make an element more imposing or diminutive to suit your vision.

Position - The position of a subject or subjects within a frame can act to resolve an image’s composition, or to create measures of tension. When you’re looking to organize your frame, please consider that elements which are placed higher are afforded more psychological weight with regards to significance or importance. Conversely, elements situated lower are associated with being less powerful, impactful, significant, or important.

Relative Value - Generally we afford a greater value (a psychological hierarchy of significance) towards darker hues or things along the darker range of the luminance spectrum. Recognizing that, you may opt to construct an image where it is weighted more with the intended subject(s) or along a line which will lead the viewer to the subject.

Depth - When an object is larger or more imposing in an image it tends to psychologically register as closer to the front of the frame. Conversely, smaller elements tend to be perceived as further to the rear, creating (assuming both elements are present) a measure of depth. This can be used to draw a different understanding of the elements in the frame and their implied relations to their environment or to one another.

Subject Density - If you group subjects closer to one another in a particular spot or region of an image they tend to be more visually appealing and we give them more attention than subjects which are spread out. Try to recognize if you have grouped things (particularly if the result presents as asymmetrical) and make such decisions intentionally either towards density, or away.

Visual Direction - Our minds assess an image and associate a perceived natural direction of motion. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the item is one that would be traveling, but it can be the way your mind wants to follow something such as a line. In one way or another our minds associate that there is a more correct direction to flow along the shape, path, subject’s motion, etc., and you should consider reinforcing or breaking-from to send whatever message is intended in your final product.

Contrast - The more dramatic the contrast, the stronger the draw to the viewer. Managing elements so as to highlight contrast can encourage a viewer to draw focus towards or away from an element or region of the image. This is particularly seen in images which exploit things such as patterns (think of an image entirely of red Skittles with one green along the intersections of the Rule of Thirds (see below).

Positive and Negative Space - Positive space (the key subjects or prominent components of an image) draws a viewer’s attention far more than negative space (the area around the key subjects or prominent components of an image). When you are composing an image, consider not only the design and relations of your positive elements, but also the effective management of your negative space. Too much negative space can tie into the “size” element discussed above, casting your positive elements as smaller. This might mean that what you intended to be the focus is now cast as perhaps in a manner to infer that it is weaker, smaller, or isolated. The opposite, where an image has an excess of positive space, might cast the subject(s) as huge and imposing, inferring that it is strong, powerful, and/or all-encompassing. Subject relations are very much a primary consideration when composing an image.

Here are a few rules pertaining to the subject alignments and relations within the frame composition:

RULE OF THIRDS

Imagine two horizontal and two vertical lines equally distant over your image dividing the image into 9 equal sized and shaped sections like a Tic-Tac-Toe grid. Your phones will frequently show you an overlay like this to enable you to compose an image in a way that is more aesthetically-pleasing. To make the most of the rule, organize key points of interest either along one of the lines, or at an intersection. Take a look at the photo I shot and how the soldiers are vertically along one line, the weapon and round are along another, as is the explosion launching the round.

LEADING LINES

Leading lines are elements which present as prominent lines through the image. They can be used in a number of creative ways, but generally they either lead to the subject directly or they frame the subject in such a way that the lines direct the viewer’s eye to stay in the frame or head towards the subject indirectly. One thing to note is that the lines themselves do not have to be solid nor do they need to be straight; they can include things like patterns, curved/spiraled lines, or inferred lines as seen in the photo below:

See how the collars and belts provide an inferred line which leads towards the soldier in the center? That’s an example of an inferred (as opposed to direct and unbroken) line.

THE GOLDEN RATIO

In my mind the coolest of them all is the Fibonacci sequence visually represented, a.k.a., “the Golden Ratio.” It represents an exponential ratio which we see in nature with things like sea shells, pine cones, flower petals, even the bones of our hand! It’s a precise mathematical formula - F(n) = F(n-1) + F(n-2), which when visually represented would look like the white spiral overlaid on the image seen here.

See how the image doesn’t fully adhere to the Rule of Thirds, but her eye aligns perfectly with the Fibonacci sequence/Golden Ratio?

PERSPECTIVE

The angle and height of your camera are also incredibly important compositional considerations. How you direct the lens can send strong messages about the subject, and can also draw the viewer to connect/contemplate by doing things like showcasing a common subject from a completely unorthodox angle. Here are three of the most common and useful perspectives to explore:

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW

Bird’s-eye view refers to imagery taken on a downward angle, as if seen by a bird. It can be a creative new way of exploring a familiar environment, but it can also be used to imply weakness in the subject by making them smaller - as if the viewer is looking down upon the subject.

BUG’S-EYE VIEW

Bug’s-eye view refers to imagery taken on an upward angle, as if seen by an insect. It also can be a creative new way of exploring a familiar environment, but it can be used to psychologically imply strength or power in the subject by making them larger - as if the viewer is looking up at the subject.

EYE LEVEL VIEW

Eye level view refers to imagery taken on an angle representative of what a person would see it naturally.

REFERENCE FOR THE VISUAL LEARNERS

For reference to support the more visually-aligned learners, feel free to watch the video below. While it does not explore elements we’ve covered such as the Golden Ratio, it is still pretty spot-on with regards to covering a number of critical compositional considerations when composing an image.