PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN PHOTO WORKSHOP

Chapter 5. COMPOSING PHOTOGRAPHS

• Snapshots versus Portraits

• Focus on Feeling

• Keeping it Simple

• Framing the Image

• Parents as Props

• The Rule of Thirds

• Using Lines

• Breaking the Rules

Composition refers to the arrangement of the elements in a photograph to create a pleasing whole. At its very essence, composition is a decision about what to include and, just as important, what to leave out of any given photograph. The human eye appreciates order of some sort and a place to go. As a photographer, your decisions about composition can help lead your viewer's eye to what is most important in your photograph.

Composition in photography is perhaps the most subjective element of all. For many great photographers, composition is unconscious or second nature; their sense of balance and emphasis comes naturally. Other photographers come from an art or painting background and have learned basic composition and graphic elements from that standpoint. Whether or not you have an art background, you can learn composition. All it takes is developing your eye. Learning the basic rules of composition will help you simplify and improve your photos immediately. When you have a firm grasp of the rules, you can afford to bend them a little, maybe even break one or two.

Start paying attention when looking at the work of other photographers. Where do your eyes land first? Was that the intention of the photographer, or ...