Compositional Elements

There are a world of resources out there that will tell you how you should and shouldn't take a photo. The irony is that truly unique and successful imagery either writes new rules, or breaks existing ones. So, why get all caught up on rules? Instead, I will do my best to offer general advice and go over compositional elements in an abstract way to give guidance rather than give misleading rules that will ultimately cripple any good photographer. I will present some of the established rules, but understand that rules are meant to be broken. The key is to understand WHY you are breaking them.

Photographs usually do one of three things, tell a story, ask a question, or evoke an emotion. The most successful images do more than one. Here are some of the basic elements of composition to consider when trying to accomplish these goals.

Balance

Balance in its basic form is how much visual interest each side of a given image is. There are many ways to see this. Essentially, in a good image, one side of an image should carry equal weight to the other. If not, the viewer's eye will tend to linger on the heavier side, and ultimately fall off the edge of the frame.

So, how does one create balance? The easiest answer is to make one side of the image an exact duplicate of the other, known as symmetrical balance. A mountain reflecting off of a lake or a photo of two people side-by-side is a great example of this. However, there are other ways to accomplish balance in an image.

If you've been around photography for any length of time, you will probably have heard of the rule of thirds. The basic premise is that you divide an image into thirds vertically and horizontally, so you have a sort of tic-tac-toe board of lines through it. You then line up your subject at the junction points of these lines. Most people agree that this will make for a pleasing image, but why? The reason is that you're using a form of asymmetrical balance.

Asymmetrical balance is a balance formed by two visual elements that are unlike each other, but still carry the same visual interest. In the case of a rule of thirds photo, the subject is balanced by the large background opposing it. Usually this background is out of focus and has low contrast. However, the sheer size of it gives it a degree of visual interest so that it balances the image. However, if the background is too detailed or too plain, this balance can be broken. Other forms of asymmetrical balance include a detailed duck next to a tranquil pond, or a rocky mountain under puffy white clouds. Many other factors lead into this concept of balance, but they deserve headers of their own.

Lighting

My first photography teacher told me something that I'll never forget. She told me I should always remember that I'm not photographing an object or a place, but merely collecting and recording light. This is a profound way to look at photography, and really hits home the importance of lighting. Lighting can truly make or break a photo.

The first part of lighting to consider is the quality of light. Bright light from a small source like a flashlight or the sun will cast pronounced shadows and highlight any textures it hits. We call this "high key" lighting. Diffused lighting from a large source, like what is seen from open shade or an overcast day is "low key" lighting. Low key lighting will soften shadows and minimize texture. This is why most studio photographer use soft boxes or umbrellas to diffuse lighting for portraiture.

Then there is color of light. Just like how the human eye is attracted to light rather than dark, it is also more attracted to warm, amber colors rather than cool, bluish colors. Each light source has its own unique color. Our eyes automatically compensate for this, but a camera sees light for what it is. Modern digital cameras have auto white balancing, but even this is not perfect. Combining light from different sources can lead to interesting color effects that would not otherwise be possible. For instance, using an amber main light and a blue background light will make a photo look like it was taken at night because the light from the moon looks blue compared to incandescent light, which is amber.

Lastly, look at direction of light. Perhaps you want your subject lit from behind to get that classic silhouette look, or have a single light from above to give a surreal ambiance. Minimalistic lighting can create dramatic shapes and textures while complex lighting can show every detail of a subject in all its glory. This is arguably one of the most important compositional techniques to master. For instance, having some light in front of a person will reflect off of their eyes and create a phenomenon called "catch light." This will give the subject that "twinkle in their eye" that will bring them to life.

Once the photo is taken, photographers will often dodge and burn, or lighten and darken, parts of an image. All this is, is a method of enhancing the lighting. It's best to remember that so the dodging and burning works with the lighting rather than against it. Ultimately, a photo where lighting is properly planned out will not require any dodging or burning at all.

Rhythm

One will inevitably find that the words that describe one form of art will inevitably be used to describe a completely different kind of art. So it is true with rhythm. In music, rhythm refers to repeating patters and percussive qualities. In a photograph, rhythm refers to repeating patterns found in the image. Skyscrapers with their buildings, or a row of trees will often give a photo this sense of rhythm. A flock of geese is a naturally-occuring rhythmic device.

Rhythm can add visual interest to something, so always consider it when creating balance. Also, you don't have to photograph the object creating the rhythm to get that sense of rhythm. Photographing a subject that is being lit through blinds will create bands of light that give a sense of rhythm. Rhythm is everywhere; it just takes a keen eye to spot it.

Shape and Form

Form is a pretty straightforward visual element. It can be a recognizable shape like that of a human silhouette, or an abstract form created by macro photography or cropping recognizable elements out of a photograph. Shape and form will generally determine whether an image makes a statement or asks a question. Mechanical, jagged shapes will evoke a different emotion than smooth flowing ones. Form will even enhance rhythm and texture. Again, this is something to take into consideration when looking through the viewfinder. Next, you'd want to think about perspective.

Perspective

People view photographs to get new perspective. It allows them to see places and things they haven't seen themselves, or see familiar thing in a new light. The human eye perceives the world at the photographic equivalent of a 50mm lens (in 35mm format) at f/5.6, 1/60th of a second, and at head height. Changing any of these will change the perspective of the photograph. Or, getting as close as possible to these settings will give a sense of "being there." Crouching low or getting up high will change the way a subject appears. Getting close with a wide angle lens, or shooting from a distance with a telephoto lens will fill the same amount of the frame with the subject, but will give two drastically different perspectives. Ask yourself, "What is the best angle to photograph my subject to achieve the effect I want?" Using a low perspective to photograph an elephant will exaggerate its size or using a wide angle lens will show more of the background behind a subject, thus giving a sense of location. Wide angle lenses in particular will tend to exaggerate leading lines.

Leading Lines

A leading line is simply a visual element that will cause the eye to move directly from one part of an image to another. They can be real or implied. Understanding leading lines is very important to the creation of good images.

Real lines are just that, an actual line in the image. The edge of an object, lines on a road, or the support beam of a building can all lead the viewer's eye. When you add lighting to the mix, a line that goes from a dark area of an image to a bright area will draw the viewer's eye along it in that exact direction. Lines leading from the background to the foreground will do the same thing.

Implied lines are a little more tricky to spot. These are situations where the eye will be lead in a straight line by something other than a line. The simplest of these is objects placed in a row creating an implied line. However, there are other types. The human eye will create a very powerful leading line. Walk into a crowded area sometime and look straight up for a while. Then look around. There will be several people who will look up to see what you were looking at. It's human nature. The same is true in photographs. If the subjects eyes lead into the frame, so will the viewer's eyes. If they look out of the frame, the same. Both can be useful if used properly. If you have a subject look out of the frame, the viewer will question what is sitting outside the frame. In some cases, this can make for an interesting question, assuming the rest of the image is strong enough to pull the viewer back.

This is a subject that will require some imagery, which I do not yet have. Realistically, all of these topics would best be served with examples, but even so, they are still useful.

In the end, the goal of leading lines is the lead the viewer around the image and keep their attention. It's best to look at an image critically and ask yourself where your eyes naturally gravitate. Are they gravitating to the subject or the background? Are they leading into the frame or out of it? Are they highlighting something you don't want them to highlight?

Texture

Texture is pretty straightforward and lends itself to lighting. Finely detailed texture will add visual interest, but will also convey ideas. If you want a face to look youthful, don't use high key lighting that will bring out the texture and wrinkles in the subject's face. However, it may be useful if you want to give the face a harsh, rugged look.

Texture can also play into leading lines and rhythm. Bark on a tree often shares these characteristics and can be an interesting subject in and of itself. The trick, again, is to be conscious of texture so you can use it to your advantage.

Contrast

Contrast, simply put, is the apparent different between one thing to another. There are a few ways to look at this. One obvious contrast, and the one commonly seen as a value in photographic development, is the contrast between light and dark. The light will appear lighter when the dark is darker, and visa versa. There is also contrasting colors which will be covered in the next section. Lastly, there is contrast between objects, also known as juxtaposition. Putting two unlike objects together, or a foreign object in an unlikely location, it can create a sense of irony. This can lend to the concept of asking a question with a photograph.

Contrast will inevitably create visual interest, but be careful, because it's easy to overdo it. While fluorescent polka dots against a black background is certainly eye-catching, it will not lead to an pleasant photograph. The same is true with photographs that have too much contrast in any one element.

Color

I covered this a little in lighting, but there's more to it. Color and the lack thereof will evoke emotion in the viewer. There are proven reactions to certain colors that a photographer should be conscious of.

Yellow will usually cause a degree of anxiety while amber has a calming effect like warm sun rays. Green and blue together will make someone think of Christmas but adding some blue to the mix will change it. An overall blue color will make a photo look cold and sad. The possibilities are endless.

There is a photographer by the name of Steve McCurry, known for his "Afghan girl" photo on the cover of National Geographic. He is well-known for his use of color. People say his images explode with color. The interesting thing is that it's not an abundance of color that gives this impression, but rather a concentration of a limited palette of colors. If you look at the photo of the Afghan girl, you'll notice that there are only two colors in the photograph, a rusty brown/red color shared by her shawl and skin, and the green color, shared by her eyes, the background, and her shirt. These two colors are a single step away from being complimentary colors. This creates a level of contrast and interest without being distracting.

Complimentary colors are opposites and will cause a high degree of contrast. If you create a color wheel using red, magenta, blue, cyan, green, and yellow, in that order, a complimentary color is the color opposite another in that wheel. Red is complimentary to cyan, magenta to green, and blue to yellow. Use of one of these colors against a sea of its compliment will cause it to really stand out.

Lastly, we get to the absence of color. The most common application of this is in black and white imagery. When you remove all color, you also remove it as a compositional element. This seems to be self-explanitory, but few realize the full gravity of what that means. A black and white image must be that much stronger in its other elements to hold its own as an image. Texture, lighting, form, and rhythm will play a much bigger role in a black and white image. A black and white image may also require color manipulation, such as the use of a red filter on the lens or a digital equivalent to bring out the tones of the image and clarify it.

Absence of color also covers images with selective color--images where all the color is removed save for a select area like the red petals of a rose. WIth selective color, the color will catch the eye even more so. A common mistake is to color part of an image back in just because it's a bright color. This is incorrect. A successful selective color image will use color to highlight the subject, make a statement, ask a question, or evoke an emotion. When selecting what part of an image to keep color in, one has to ask themselves if it serves a viable purpose such as these or not. If not, perhaps it's best left black and white.

Critical Review

This all means jack diddley if you don't review your work and the work of others. After you take a photo, and especially if you like it, ask yourself why that is. Go over the compositional concepts I've outlined in this article as a guide and see how the image was successful, and how it could be improved. It's also helpful to look at other photos for creative inspiration. Why are successful photographers successful? How are they lighting their subjects? What perspective are they using? What do you like about their images, and how do you think they could be better? Slowly, you'll start to find your own unique style and create strong images that others will want to see.