Download PDF - The Canadian Nature Photographer
Download PDF - The Canadian Nature Photographer
Download PDF - The Canadian Nature Photographer
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MACROPHOTOGRAPHY TOOLS, TIPS & TECHNIQUES FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS 2012<br />
Composition Basics<br />
Composition refers to the placement of elements in a photograph. A good composition is one where<br />
the elements in a picture provide a sense of unity or belonging, and each element in the picture<br />
supports the main subject. To achieve this, photographers attempt to organize the elements in the<br />
viewfinder so the final picture is seen as a whole.<br />
<strong>The</strong> following is only intended as an introduction to composition to help guide the new photographer in<br />
making better pictures. <strong>The</strong> most common error new photographers do is always place the subject in<br />
the middle. While this is sometimes the best spot, very often it is not. A simple guideline for more<br />
effective composition is to position the main subject so that it is an unequal distance from each side of<br />
the frame. <strong>The</strong> other decision each photographer has to make is to whether to frame the subject<br />
horizontally or vertically. When learning, it’s a good idea to take both horizontal and vertical framed<br />
shots of your subject and evaluate the images later.<br />
In each of the photographs above a vertical orientation worked best. Left: Shooting stars, Middle:<br />
Skunk cabbage, Right: closeup of a Tiger Lilly.<br />
How to achieve unity or a sense of belonging<br />
1. Through dominance and subordination.<br />
2. Dominance can be achieved by differences in size, color, location, focal point, convergence and<br />
through the effective use of light.<br />
3. A good photographer tries to control the amount of attention an element receives and the<br />
sequence in which the elements are observed.<br />
Robert Berdan | 50