Composing a good photograph isn’t just done by framing your subjects inside the viewfinder. In order to have better photographs, one should try to make effective compositions. A strong composition is the product of a thoughtful study of the environment around you, its lines, shapes, and the patterns they form.
Lines can have a very nice impact on your composition making it more appealing. They can grab the attention of the eye into a certain direction, they can add depth to the photo, and they can form interesting patterns.
While you may not notice, lines are abundant in our surroundings. The horizon, beaches and fallen trees, all can add interesting horizontal lines to your photos which can add a sense of stability to the picture. While adding lines to you composition, you should not forget about the Rule of Thirds, and try keep the horizontal lines perpendicular to the edges of your photo. Remember that this type of lines is usually more convenient to horizontal photos .
If you look around, you’ll probably notice that vertical lines are even more abundant. Think of buildings, upright trees and light posts, they usually reflect growth and strength and when used correctly, they can provide interesting patterns especially when the photograph contains other elements. To avoid misusing the vertical lines, make sure that they are perpendicular to the top and bottom edges of the photo. These lines look best in portrait orientation.
Another type of lines is the diagonal lines. Just look ahead of you along road or railway lines and you will sense a feeling of depth while your eyes will be set to their point of convergence of the diagonal lines. They can give a sense of speed and movement. It is usually better to have the diagonal lines away from the photo’s diagonals so as to make it more interesting.
The perspective usually control how the lines exist inside the photo. By utilizing a different angle, a pair of parallel lines can easily become converging lines and lead the eyes into the photograph. This can produce a totally different composition with more depth and more points of interest at the meeting point of the diagonal lines.
While lines may add a certain mood to your photograph, shapes usually provide the meaning. Shapes are the 2D outlines of the objects, and they play a major role in making these objects recognizable. Contrasting an object with a different background is usually the best way to put emphasis on its shape . Thus, the edges of your object will be clear, and consequently, its shape will be very well defined.
Every object has its own distinct shape from specific angles, but some objects may look similar from different points of view. Because photographs have two dimensions only, choosing the right perspective is essential to present the object with the shape you want.
Understanding composition in terms of lines and shapes is one step forward toward more mature artistic expression.
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