I believe all photographers are learning composition. I myself, am at the beginning of my educational process. I love symmetry and have often looked for that as a balancing element to my composition. So much so that you will see this repeating theme in many of my images. Breaking away from symmetry and still obtaining a pleasing composition is something I have yet to master.
I have put in this section on my webpage just to track the different things I am learning. Think of this as a digital representation of what is in my Photography Notebook...you know the one I carry around with me to jot down ideas and things. So nothing here is written by an expert, much of it will be obvious to others but is brand new to me. So have a read, have a laugh and check back to see if I get any better at presenting an image.
Defining what we do not know:
The first step in any educational process is to understand what we are looking for. So I will begin with a definition.
"In the visual arts-in particular painting, graphic design, photography, and sculpture-COMPOSITION is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art.
The term composition means 'putting together', and can apply to any work of art, from music to writing to photography, that is arranged or put together using conscience thought." -Wikipedia
I like Scott Kelby's definition...not sure if he originally coined it but I heard him say it is "the strongest way of seeing". I believe this, coupled with the last sentence from Wikipedia gives me something to start off with.
"Arranging visual elements in a photograph using conscience thought to produce the strongest way of seeing it."
It may not be perfect but it is what I will use to start me off.
I have put in this section on my webpage just to track the different things I am learning. Think of this as a digital representation of what is in my Photography Notebook...you know the one I carry around with me to jot down ideas and things. So nothing here is written by an expert, much of it will be obvious to others but is brand new to me. So have a read, have a laugh and check back to see if I get any better at presenting an image.
Defining what we do not know:
The first step in any educational process is to understand what we are looking for. So I will begin with a definition.
"In the visual arts-in particular painting, graphic design, photography, and sculpture-COMPOSITION is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art.
The term composition means 'putting together', and can apply to any work of art, from music to writing to photography, that is arranged or put together using conscience thought." -Wikipedia
I like Scott Kelby's definition...not sure if he originally coined it but I heard him say it is "the strongest way of seeing". I believe this, coupled with the last sentence from Wikipedia gives me something to start off with.
"Arranging visual elements in a photograph using conscience thought to produce the strongest way of seeing it."
It may not be perfect but it is what I will use to start me off.
