Composition 101

[adamj123]

Having recently started in photography myself composition was and still is one of the concepts i am trying to grasp. I found this tutorial: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/class ... h5sbdr58j0
which really goes into detail about composition, here is an extract from the inntroduction:

Today digital photography holds out the promise of instant mastery. Auto-focus, auto light-metering, image stabilization, infinite deletes... the list of benefits we get from today's technology is practically limitless. And it's easy to get caught up in their promise.

But, while all that digital assistance (plus the seemingly endless ability to manipulate our images once they get to hard drive) has certainly been a boon to today's shutterbugs, obviously taking a great photo is about much more than great technology.

How else can we explain all the top-notch lens work done long before the invention of the microchip -- Without erase, without autofocus, without image stabilization, without any of the rest of our modern conveniences? Some of the Old Timers of Photography made masterpieces using equipment that would be indistinguishable from junk today; Just wood boxes with pinholes in them, and treated metal plates.

So forget technology for a moment. Technology will take care of itself. There's lots to learn about good picture-making that technology has nothing to do with.

[BT*ist]

Interesting article, and I liked the thorough analysis and definitely agree with the introduction. I found some of the analyses to be ... well... over-analytical, and biased towards finding shapes and patterns that I couldn't even see! It would have been interesting to see a deconstruction of ineffective photos from the same standpoint, or a comparison of crops that heighten or lessen the aspects being talked about.

All that said, it's bringing home to me one fact - I seem to have trouble with composition 'on the fly', and instead tend to do most of my composition-type work in Photoshop afterwards where I can spend more time.

Thanks for posting the article! I'm off to read some of the other stuff on the site... uh, I mean... do some work.

[Killakoala]

Or just do what i do and move the viewfinder around until the subject looks nice.

[adamj123]

Or just do what i do and move the viewfinder around until the subject looks nice.

well thats what i have been doing till now but apparently what looks good in my eye won't necessary look good with others