TECH  -  2)  Composition  -  1 & 2

  

    Overview: 

The

Photo Experience

 

Technical

Composition

       

 

  

Technical.

Intro

 

     

 

      1)   Why? -  Before taking a photograph, ask yourself honestly what you like:

      2)   SLC -  Image consists of three primary elements in varying degrees:

                 SUBJECT .......... get up, get down, get close

                 LIGHT .......... front light & back lighting > 2 dimensional / side lighting > 3 dimensional

                             (light is nature's paint brush)

                 COMPOSITION  ..........

      3)   Insurance  -  Start with  "Snapshot"  of scene.

            -  Move in, optically, & isolate elements of scene.

            -  Bracket "1" stop over/under, ... re-focus ... re-shoot.

            -  Enhance image, if appropriate, with graduated ND filter, etc.

                        (the best image may be behind you. (You're always looking forward.)

 

      ( Simplicity ... Balance ... Breathing room ... interconnectedness )

 

    

       Tool Box:

 

 1. Now What?

 2. Composition

 3. Technical

 

 

    

  1)   Shoot - zoom in/zoom out - enables composition flexibility in post processing.

             Nail it... then distill it.

   2)   Horizontal panorama.

   3 )  Vertical panorama.

   4)   Focus stacking.

   5)   Smoothing with 10x ND.

   6)   View image as potential monochrome.

   7)   Pan, twist, or zoom while shooting longer exposure - abstract.

   8)   Under exposure / over exposure.

 

      

        Scenic Composition:

     

 - get high

 - get low

 - get close

 get into subject

 

         Is it:   

 1. Dynamic

 2. Composition 

 3. Pretty

 

  -  S Curves, C Curves, V's

  -  Layers

  -  Leading lines.

  -  Repetitive slants.

  -  Perceived elements party outside frame.

  -  Frame is as important as subject.

  -  Control eye movement thru frame.

  -  Separation of elements.

 

  -  Complexity

  -  Minimalism

  -  A benign extra element is not always bad

 

       Summary #1:

Consider the Fine Art point of view.

 

   -  Start wide & move in to shoot tight.

   -  Add an element of scale.

   -  Freeze motion ... slow motion ... partial slow.

   -  Impact ... no impact (careful)

 

   -  Watch the background

   -  Convey a mood? Feeling?

   -  Never have leading line go to  corner.

   -  Is it boring?

 

       Summary #2:                                                               Nat Geo Books:  (Types of Images)

 

 

  

   -  Get the shot.  

   -  Photography deducts objects / painting adds.

   -  Shooting is easy, seeing is hard.

   -  Capture the mood, the feeling,

           (No one will care what camera you used)

   -  That's why iPhones are so popular.

          Level 1 ... technical

          Level 2 ... composition

          Level 3 ... mood, feeling, 

   -  Practice "seeing".

   -  The post-processing conveys what

          you saw experienced to the viewer. 

     Opening

     Closing

     Zoom

     Wide angle

     Detail

     Portrait

     Special moment. 

 

       Outside the Composition:

   

     

  -  You don't have to have the obvious in the image.   

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Tech.  /  Composition - 2

  

 

    SLC: 
 

 

          SUBJECT ... LIGHT ... COMPOSITION     

   

 

    SELECTION: 
 

 

          PICTURE ... PHOTO ... ART     

   

 

       10 Elements

 

 

 

 

    

      1)    Perspective:  compression  /  expansion  /  normal (fine art)

      2)    Time of day:   morning light  /  afternoon light  /  alpen glow

      3)    Rule of thirds - or not.    (Rule of 6ths)   (balance)

      4)    Lead the viewer's eye through the image.  S curve, C curve, slants, V's.

      5)    Layers in image.       (repetition)

      6)    Types of photos:  Post card, dynamic, intricate, minimalistic.   

      7)    You don't have to have the obvious in the image. 

      8)    Separation of elements.  

      9)    If color off,  imagine in B&W. 

    10)   Look for emotion in subject  /  Look for emotion because of subject.  

 

      

        Other Considerations:

     

 

 

 

      Holy Grail: 

              Capture a different way of looking at a subject.

              Post process to make look like what you actually saw.

              Make sure image has some near-black and some near-white in the composition.

             "Photoshop" is a computer word, not a photography word.

 

             Review Elements & Composition before shooting and if hit a mental block during shooting.

                 (Can also step away from shooting and look for fresh perspective without camera.)

 

              Holistic view ... the whole image is larger than the sum of its parts. 

    

 

       Style:
 

   

       1)    High DOF telephoto scenics.  (D750 + 100-400)

                 (With FF, focus stacking required)

      2)    Close focus with scenic background.  (D7200 + 17-70 macro)

      3)    Big sky.  (D850 + 16-35)

                 (Exposure bracketing may be required)

      4)    Ephemeral

      

 

       Quotes

 

 

 

     

 

      1)    A photograph is usually looked at—and seldom looked into. —Ansel Adams

      2)    

      3)    

      4)    

   

 

       Other:

 

 

 

     

 

      1)    Start wide and then start taking unnecessary stuff out of the image with zoom.

      2)    With 16 FF, go for strong foreground.

      3)    Light really is everything.  Know "when" to shoot.  Punt with monochrome?

      4)    Is the image "immersive"?