Photography rules (2)

part1

Move the Horizon
This rule is related to the rule of thirds. If the rule of thirds is followed to the letter, probably this mistake won’t appear.
Probably you have seen photographs in which the horizon is right in the middle of the photograph. Actually, the photographer probably did not make a conscious decision to do this.
Running the horizon right through the middle of a photograph is boring because it violates the rule of thirds. Try putting the horizon along a rule-of-thirds line, that actually gives two choices for where to put the horizon in any picture, in the top third or the bottom third of the composition.
How do you decide which? It’s easy: if you want to emphasize the distant landscape and sky, put the horizon on the bottom third line.


If you are taking a seascape where you want to emphasize the foreground, the horizon belongs in the upper third of the picture. Of course, these are just guidelines so try to experiment.

Use lines, symmetry, and patterns
“Photographs are two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional scenes. The question, then, is how to best lead viewers through a picture so they get a sense of the real depth that the image is trying to depict.
The answer to that question is simpler than you might think. When you compose an image in the viewfinder, look for natural or artificial lines that might lead the viewer’s eyes through the photo. These lines can create a sense of depth and perspective that is often lost in the two-dimensional photograph. Lines can be formed in almost any situation: you might see a row of trees, the shape of a skyscraper from the ground, or the route of the backyard fence.
Personally, I enjoy using the natural flow of a stream or road to lead the eye from one end of the picture to the other. “
Dave Johnson, How to do everything with your digital camera

Another option is to look for repetition and patterns, and incorporate those into the image. Patterns can create interesting effects, they can add a sense of depth to images. Try combining these patterns with a sense of symmetry. When you employ symmetry, you are balancing both sides of the photograph. That can also help lead the eye through your image.

Use foreground to balance the background
When trying to photograph a distant subject (landscape or cityscape) a common trick is to place something of interest in the foreground to provide a sense of balance.
When done well, the viewer’s eyes are drawn immediately to the foreground object, and then they’ll wander to the background. This is an effective technique for adding a sense of depth and perspective to a photograph, as well as giving the foreground a sense of scale.

Every picture tells a story
When you press the shutter release, you’ve should created an image with depth, motion, and some sort of story. When you look at a good image, your eyes should naturally start in one place and move to another. That’s in sharp contrast to a typical snapshot that has no particular story to tell; the focal point is haphazardly placed, and it’s cluttered enough that there’s no obvious path for the eye to take.
Good artists can use techniques like lines, symmetry, patterns, and multiple focal points to lead the viewer in a specific way through an image. If you can create an image like that, consider it a success.

Know when to break the rules of composition*
After you master concepts like the rule of thirds and filling the frame with the focal point, however, you’ll find that you can take even better pictures by bending or breaking those same rules.
This is an area of photography that is best experimented with and learned on your own, but there are a few pointers to help:
- Change the perspective: Technically, this is not breaking any rules of composition, but this is something that few people think about, yet it can have a profound impact on the quality of your photos. Simply put, experiment with different ways to see the same scene. Try taking your picture by holding the camera horizontally, and then see how you might frame the picture by turning the camera vertically. Get low to the ground or stand up on a chair or table to get a higher perspective on the same scene.
You have a lot of options: try them.
- Ignore symmetry: Sure, symmetry is great, but just as often as symmetry works well in a photograph, sometimes you can get an even better image if you intentionally skew the photo to strip out the symmetry. When the viewer expects symmetry and doesn’t get it, you have introduced tension and drama into an image. And that’s not bad, especially if all you’ve done is photograph some road, train track, or river.
- Surprise the viewer: If you’ve seen one landscape, you’ve seen them all. That’s not really true, but it can sometimes seem that way. Go for the unusual by framing your picture in a totally unexpected way. One of my favorite tricks is shooting landscapes through the side view mirror of a car.
- Use several focal points: While most pictures rely on just one or two focal points, sometimes you need even more, especially when you’re shooting a picture like a family portrait. If you’re taking a picture with several people in it, you can often overcome a cluttered look by arranging the subjects into a geometric pattern. If the subjects’ heads form a triangle shape, for instance, you have introduced order into the photo despite the fact that there are a lot of people in it.

* Dave Johnson, How to do everything with your digital camera

To be continued

part1