composition

December 16, 2015 by Kat

Composition Workshop in January – Register Now

I’m so excited to bring you a brand new workshop in January!

Have you been wanting to improve your photography? To create more interesting images from the world around you? It all starts with composition.

I believe improving your composition skills is the single most important thing you can do to improve your photography, with any type of camera. But, composition can be really hard to get your mind wrapped around. That’s why I’ve developed simple strategy to help you create compelling compositions in your photographs without worrying about a list of do’s and don’t’s.

And the Corvallis Library is sponsoring a workshop, free to the public, where you can learn this strategy!

Out of the Box: A New Composition Strategy for Creating Compelling Photographs
Corvallis Public Library, Main Meeting Room, Corvallis, Oregon
January 16, 2016, 1pm to 4pm
Workshop details here
Workshop is FREE! Register by calling 541-766-6793 or email askalibrarian@corvallisoregon.gov

And if you aren’t close enough to attend? I’ve got resources to learn about composition available for you too:

My upcoming book, Art with an iPhone, covers similar concepts on composition, which applies to any type of camera. You can preorder today, it ships in a month’s time!
My eBook, Digital Photography for Beginners, covers the basics of composition any photographer needs to know. It is available for immediate download from PhotographyBB.
Exploring with a Camera, a series of articles I’ve written for my blog over the last few years, covers a wide variety of composition topics. Have fun exploring!

November 18, 2011 by Kat

Exploring with a Camera: Printed Aspect Ratios

We’re doing something different in this new Exploring with a Camera theme. For the next couple of weeks, we’re exploring what happens to our images when we go to print them by exploring Printed Aspect Ratios.

If you are like me, you take many, many images and print very few. One of my goals upon returning home from Italy has been to get some of my favorite photographs printed. I had no desire to print on my home printer, so I was seeking printing solutions that were simple, high quality and would allow me to focus my time on the capture of images rather than the printing of images. It’s going pretty well… I’ve had postcards and greeting cards and canvas gallery wraps printed so far with reasonable success. I’m still experimenting, but one key piece of information that is critical to successful third-party printing is understanding aspect ratio. It is important to understand how the different aspect ratios of standard photo sizes affect your final printed image.

With this exploration, we’ll take a look at the aspect ratio of standard sizes and what that means for our carefully composed photographs. In the US, the standard photo print sizes are 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, 11×14, 16×20 (all units in inches), highlighted in the table below in blue.

There are four columns in this table: The standard size in inches, the approximate size in cm (for my non-US readers), the aspect ratio, and the long side divided by the short side. What does it all mean?

I’ll just use the standard 4×6 size as an example. A 4×6 photo has an aspect ratio of 2:3, that means that for every 2 inches on the short side, there are 3 inches on the long side. (You may also see the aspect ratio for a 4×6 as 3:2. It’s the same thing, no matter the order of the numbers.) When you divide the long side (6) by the short side (4), you get 1.5. This means the long side is 1.5 times longer than the short side. This simple number, the long side divided by the short side, gives you the information to quickly compare the aspect ratios. The higher the number is above 1, the more rectangular the shape of the photo; the closer to 1, the more square the shape of the photo.

Here is a graphical example of the different aspect ratios and their relative shape differences. You can see the 2:3 aspect ratio is the “longest” rectangle with the long side divided by short side at 1.5, while the other aspect ratios move more and more toward square. I’ve included a 1:1 (square) aspect ratio for comparison.

Why do you care about all of this? Well, if you are like me and you compose your images carefully, you care a lot about how the final image looks, whether on the computer screen or printed. If you carefully compose and crop for one aspect ratio, and then print in another aspect ratio, the visual impact of your photographs can be dramatically different.

Camera Aspect Ratios

Aspect ratio starts with your camera. Depending on the type of digital camera you are using, you will have a different aspect ratio at the time of capture. Digital SLRs, based on 35mm film, have an aspect ratio of 2:3. Point-and-shoot or consumer digital cameras, however, have a more square aspect ratio of 3:4. That means if you take a photo in a point-and-shoot camera and then have it printed as a 4×6 print, you are going to lose some of the photograph because of the aspect ratio difference. Conversely, an image from a dSLR printed at 4×6 will come out as composed in the camera. The 2:3 aspect ratio of the dSLR camera matches the 2:3 aspect ratio of the 4×6 print.

Examples

Nothing helps more than a few examples, so let’s start off with my lead in photograph. Since I’ve been revisiting Greece a little bit this week, I pulled this image from Santorini as an example. Here it is again, in the 2:3 aspect ratio:

If I want a 5×7 print, that’s an aspect ratio of 5:7. Some of the top and bottom of the image has to be cropped off:

That’s not too bad. What about an 8×10 print? That’s an aspect ratio of 4:5:

It still looks ok, but compare the 4:5 aspect ratio (last) with the 2:3 (first). There is a different feel. The shadows of the gate are cropped and the image is much more square. When you have space around your subject, as in this photo, there is room to crop for different aspect ratios without significantly affecting what the image conveys. When you don’t have the space for this cropping, however, aspect ratios can make a bigger difference in the final image.

Consider one of my favorites from Torcello in the Venetian Lagoon. I cropped this very tight in camera, it came out nicely balanced to my eye.

If I wanted to print as an 8×10, I would crop to the 4:5 aspect ratio. Look what happens when I crop as best as I can, keeping the most important information. The greyed-out portion is what I would lose in the image with this crop:

I think the image has lost some appeal. Where the brown of the brick at the top matched the brown of the pavement on the bottom, framing the composition in the first image, that framing is lost in the 8×10 crop. The image does not have the same impact when cropped with this aspect ratio.

Here is another example, this one with more space to work with. The negative space on the left of this 2:3 aspect ratio image below serves to put the focus on the bicycle to the right.

Now, with a 4:5 crop if I wanted to do an 8×10 print, see what happens:

While there is space to crop and I don’t lose vital information in the subject of the bicycle, the final result does not have the same impact. As the aspect ratio moves toward square, the off-center subject moves more toward center and the image loses the dynamic feel. It would look ok on the wall, but not as good as the 2:3 aspect ratio.

One quick example with my point-and-shoot camera, which has a 3:4 aspect ratio. I carefully framed the image in camera, and I like the way it turned out.

If I wanted to print this image as a 4×6, the image would need to be cropped 2:3, like so:

This image still works when cropped, because of the symmetric nature of the photograph. A little information lost top and bottom does not impact the focal point of the tree-lined path.

Beware Bleed and Wrap

Now that you are starting to see the impact of aspect ratio, I’m going to take you one step further and discuss “Bleed” and “Wrap.”

In printing, “bleed” is the amount that gets trimmed off at the edge of a print. Printers are not able to line the printing exactly to the edge of the paper, so what they do is print slightly larger than the final size and then trim down to size. The parts of the image that “bleed” further than the final size get trimmed off. Typically this is only a few millimeters, but that can matter. In the case of my Torcello image above, the branch of the tree on the right side that just touches the edge always gets cut off, even when I print it with an aspect ratio of 2:3, due to the bleed. It is just too close to the edge. I wish I had the same image with a little more space on that right edge for printing purposes but I don’t – I cropped it too close in camera.

With the advent of gallery wrap canvas prints, you also have to be aware of the “wrap” factor. If you like the look of the image continuing around the edge with a gallery wrap, you need to consider whether you are losing the visual information in your focal point as part of the image wraps around the edge. I’ll use a recent print of my favorite little flowers as an example. Here’s the original image:

I printed it as a 16×20 (aspect ratio 4:5) gallery wrap with the image wrapped around the edge. Here’s the best I could get for composition in the final image, once the wrap was taken into consideration:

Look how much visual information is lost! While it has impact on the wall due to the size and color of the print, the dynamic nature of the paper cones popping out toward the viewer is lost. It is not what I intended in the photograph.

Some printers offer options when ordering gallery wraps to address this, either by mirroring the image on the wrap, or adding a white or black border. Being aware of the effect of the wrap and printing bleed, and planning ahead for it, can help your final printed images come out as you envision.

What to do?

Now that you understand a little more about the impact of aspect ratio on your images, you can see why many professional photographers choose to print, mat and frame themselves. Not only can they control the color of their prints, but also the sizing of the print and the final presentation.

For most of us, however, we don’t have the resources to take all of that on, either in time, money or equipment. That’s where being aware of the impacts of aspect ratio and bleed on our images comes in. There are many options for printing, so as you decide to print with a company, take a look at what size prints are offered and what their software allows you to adjust as you order.

Here are a few things you can do on your own, to control the aspect ratio impacts:

Be aware of the different aspect ratios in printing, and the effects of bleed and wrap, when you go to print.
Know the aspect ratio of your camera. Is it 2:3 or 3:4? How does that effect the images you capture? Do you have a preferred aspect ratio for cropping after capture?
Consider your final use as you compose in camera. If your composition is perfect straight out of the camera, will you be able to print it in your desired format? Consider taking an additional image or two, leaving some extra space around your final composition, should you decide to print in a different aspect ratio later.
When you print, crop for the aspect ratio you are printing. Don’t let the printer randomly decide how the image is cropped to fit the aspect ratio. You can do this in your post-processing software or you may be able to specify the crop in the ordering process, depending on your printer.
Find a company that prints the aspect ratio you prefer using. For example, many online photo printers have prints available in the standard 3:4 format of point-and-shoot cameras. Since I use a dSLR and prefer to crop 2:3, I’ve found RedBubble.com a good option since they base all of their prints off an aspect ratio of 2:3. I don’t have to worry about aspect ratio, just bleed.

Let’s Explore

Now it’s time for you to go off exploring on your own! Take a look at your archive or go out shooting with aspect ratio in mind. Here are a couple of ideas to try:

Take a favorite image or two and crop to different aspect ratios. What happens to the impact of the composition as you change the aspect ratio?
It’s the holiday season, why not try printing yourself? Pick a photo or two and have them printed for gifts. Greeting cards and postcards are a great gift idea, so is a nice matted or framed print.

Come back and link in, letting us know what you learned in this exploration. Do you have any tips to add? Let’s hear them!

FYI – Links will be moderated. Please use a permalink, ensure that your linked image is on topic, and include a link back to this site in your post through the Exploring with a Camera button (available here) or a text link. Thanks!

February 10, 2011 by Kat

Exploring with a Camera: Breaking the Rule of Thirds

Welcome to another Exploring with a Camera! This week I’m exploring the “Rule of Thirds,” looking at how this rule works and when to break the rule.

The Rule of Thirds is simple:
1. Divide your frame into thirds horizontally and vertically.
2.When framing your image, place your subject on one of the lines or intersections created by the thirds.

The Rule of Thirds is a guiding principle that can help you create interesting visual compositions. Calling it a “rule” is a complete misnomer – it’s no more a rule than any other compositional principle. It is more of a suggestion, an idea to keep in mind while your create. Composition is a complex subject and relies on so many aspects working together, you can’t just state one principle as a “rule” to be followed all of the time.

As I’m taking or cropping photographs, I don’t actively think about applying the Rule of Thirds or any specific compositional principle. I use my eye to gauge what might be a good composition, which takes into account all of the different things going on in each individual photograph. I experiment with various compositions of the same subject. It is interesting for me to see, after the fact, what principles I might have unconsciously applied. This type of review helps me to understand where the principles do and don’t work for me, which in turn will help me create better images the next time I go out and shoot.

If you are new to photography and trying to learn composition, thinking about the Rule of Thirds as you shoot or crop can help you see how it works and where you might successfully use it in your images.

I’m going to go through a number of examples that consider the Rule of Thirds to see whether an image follows the rule exactly, partially or not at all. It was an interesting exercise for me, because it was more difficult than I thought to define if an image partially followed the rule or broke the rule. Here are the definitions that I came up with:

Following the Rule of Thirds: If the focal point (main subject) of the image falls exactly on a third line or intersection, it follows the rule.
Partial use of the Rule of Thirds: If the focal point is close to a third line or intersection and has the appearance of following the rule, it partially follows the rule.
Breaking the Rule of Thirds: If the focal point is nowhere near a third line or intersection and doesn’t have any appearance of following the rule, it breaks the rule.

I’ve applied a grid divided into thirds to all of the images to help you visualize the rule applied to each example. You can learn how to apply a grid set to thirds in Photoshop Elements with instructions here, or Ashley of Ramblings and Photos posted a video for Photoshop (very similar to Elements) in her post here. If you use other software, do a web search for your software. (Note: When you apply a grid in software you won’t see it when you save or print your image, it’s only viewable while using the software. I had to work some special magic to create these examples showing the grid lines.)

Following the Rule of Thirds

In general, I discovered that I follow the rule most exactly with simple images. Images where there is a single subject and a consistent background are a great place to use the rule of thirds.

This abstract image from Burano is a good example of following the third lines. It is very simple, looking at the different textures and the light on the surfaces. Applying the Rule of Thirds makes an interesting composition out of what could be a very boring subject.

This image of flowers on the table is a great example of putting the main part of the subject at the intersection of two lines. The whole plant is the focal point, on the right vertical third line, but the flowers are the focal point within the focal point, and they are closest to the intersection.

The image of the path and trees is more complex, but the break in the trees falls on a third line exactly, creating a place for your eye to follow down to the people. Note that the people and horizon are not on the horizontal third line but are positioned lower, which helps emphasize the height of the trees. If they were exactly on the lower horizontal third line, it would have emphasized the people and the path.

I loved how my crop of this image came out exactly on the rule of thirds. The main subject, the woman walking out of the building, falls on an intersection of third lines. The reflections trail away along the horizontal line. There is a lot going on in this image to explore, but the rule of thirds works very well here.

Partially Using the Rule of Thirds

When I was writing my Find Your Eye lesson on composition, I discovered that some of my images have the appearance of following the rule of thirds, but the subject is really not on a third line or intersection. This is a great thing to discover! You can get great compositions using this principle without being precise.

I truly thought this image of a leaf on wet pavement followed the rule of thirds. That’s what I was going for when I cropped it. Look how far off it is from the intersection! This goes to show that balance of the elements – the leaf versus the pebbles and reflections – comes into play as well as the rule of thirds.

This picnic table in this image has the feeling of following the rule of thirds to me, but it is not on the intersection. Again, balance of the elements in the image was more important than exactly following the rule of thirds.

My favorite happy image of flowers from Barcelona seemed like it followed the rule of thirds, but the focal point flowers are much more centered that I realized. It still works!

Along with the rule of thirds, you may often hear, “Put the horizon on one of the third lines.” While that works in principle to help you create more interesting compositions, it doesn’t always apply. This image from Monaco has much of the visual weight, from the bright white of the building, in the left third of the image. The horizon line doesn’t need to be on the third line here for a good composition.

Breaking the Rule of Thirds

Many, many images have no relation to the rule of thirds and yet still have a great composition. Applying the grid lines you might see some elements that line up, but the subject and composition don’t follow the rule of thirds at all. Just remember that the “rule” of thirds was meant to be broken!

The lead in photo, from my recent photo excursion with Kirstin, shows a composition that has nothing to do with the rule of thirds. One element happens to line up on a third line, but that is just coincidence. The image is composed mainly to highlight the lines and color.

The ceramic plaque in this photo below from Burano is more centered than on any third lines. The composition was created to capture the plaque in relation to the elements surrounding it, the window and the door, and their relative colors.

In one of my all time favorite images of Venice at night, I can’t find any relationship to the rule of thirds.

Here we have a simple image on a plain background, which could be perfect for the rule of thirds, but I opted to fill more of the frame. The subject is off center for a more pleasing composition, toward the bottom third intersection, but that’s about the only relationship to the rule of thirds.

The subject here is the trees and the patterns they make. None of the dominant trees fall on the third lines or intersections. The only relation to the rule of thirds is the horizon line happens to be near the bottom third line.

The subject in this image from Bologna is the bicycle, which is nowhere near an intersection or line. The interesting thing is that the more complex or detailed parts of the image, the visual “weight,” fall in the bottom and right third parts of the grid. The image breaks the rule of thirds in terms of my definition of focal point, but the principle of thirds still influences the composition. This example shows composition is a complex topic!

Now, it’s your turn!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this exploration into the rule of thirds. Now, it’s your turn to take a look at your photos with an eye to this principle and see how it works or doesn’t work for you. Link in your images and be sure to put a comment on whether the image follows, partially follows or breaks the rule. All images, archive or new, are welcome. I would love it if you would share my Exploring with a Camera button if you participate – you can find it here.

It’s so much fun to give things away, I’ve started collecting fun little giveaway items in addition to my postcards. This time I’ll be giving away this “C is for Camera” blank notebook I picked up in London. The winner will be drawn at random from those who link an image in below.

Thanks for participating! I can’t wait to see what interesting images you have to show this time.

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