rickztahone
04-20-2015, 05:16 PM
In this thread I will list out some of the techniques that help a photographer accomplish great photographs. I will not go in to great detail of each one, but know that we will be focus around these topics when we do our practice rounds on THIS THREAD (http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?118402-Lets-get-to-practicing!). These can be considered "guidlines" as opposed to "rules". Many call them rules and always walk inside the confines of them, but, as a photographer, you have to know when it is a good idea to break these guidlines/rules to achieve the shot that you want as a photography artist.
Lets begin:
-Rule of Thirds and the Golden Mean:
The idea of rule of thirds is not a new concept, in fact, it is an ancient concept that has been used in art for many years. Artists such as Rembrandt, the King of light, and Leonardo da Vinci, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet are just a few of the classic artists who have used these techniques to better showcase their works of art.
In simple terms, the rule of thirds says that if you intersect an overall frame (cameras are traditionally 4:3 ratio) with 2 lines horizontally, and 2 lines vertically and space them so that they create 9 equal parts, then if you place your subject in one of the intersecting lines, you will have a more powerful composition than simply placing your subject in the middle.
The real point of this task is to look for a pre-defined composition in the environment around you and to realize when you can break the rule and to come to terms with the fact that you don't always have to follow this technique to get a good shot
You can read some more on these techniques here:
http://www.drawinghowtodraw.com/drawing-lessons/art-design-principles/golden-ration-divine-proportions.html
Here is a page where there are a lot of articles written about these tequniques:
http://photoinf.com/Golden_Mean/
-Leading Lines:
Leading lines plays well with rule of thirds many times. In simple terms, leading lines help the viewer "enter" in to a photograph and gives your eye direction as to where to travel within the frame. This typically lends well to an overall macrocosmic leading line, but can be executed in a microcosmic way as well if done properly. You need to keep an eye out for diagonals that cut through a frame, or s curves that may end in one of the leading thirds quadrant.
For a small piece on Leading lines, please click here:
http://blog.fotonomy.com/tips/creative-composition-leading-lines/
-Foreground Interest:
Foreground interest is exactly like it sounds like. Even though photographs are two dimensional in nature, a picture with "foreground interest" can create depth in the image and draw the viewer into it in the same manner that a leading line can. Typically, this technique is better used with wider lenses, but it isn't necessarily limited to them. The focal point can many times be the actual foreground interest or it can be the rear interest that is the focal point. You want to have a sense of connection between the two objects. They should not be two seperate indvidual objects that have nothing in common.
Here is a very brief article on this subject:
http://www.photoanswers.co.uk/Advice/Search-Results/Techniques/How-to-use-foreground-interest/
Those are the basic ones I would like to emphasize here for our purposes, but there are more advanced techniques as well that we can discuss if you are up for it.
Some of these include:
-Perspective
-Shape/outline Silhouette
-High Key/Low Key
-Symmetry
-Pattern
-Texture
-Macro photography
Let me know if you have any questions.
Lets begin:
-Rule of Thirds and the Golden Mean:
The idea of rule of thirds is not a new concept, in fact, it is an ancient concept that has been used in art for many years. Artists such as Rembrandt, the King of light, and Leonardo da Vinci, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet are just a few of the classic artists who have used these techniques to better showcase their works of art.
In simple terms, the rule of thirds says that if you intersect an overall frame (cameras are traditionally 4:3 ratio) with 2 lines horizontally, and 2 lines vertically and space them so that they create 9 equal parts, then if you place your subject in one of the intersecting lines, you will have a more powerful composition than simply placing your subject in the middle.
The real point of this task is to look for a pre-defined composition in the environment around you and to realize when you can break the rule and to come to terms with the fact that you don't always have to follow this technique to get a good shot
You can read some more on these techniques here:
http://www.drawinghowtodraw.com/drawing-lessons/art-design-principles/golden-ration-divine-proportions.html
Here is a page where there are a lot of articles written about these tequniques:
http://photoinf.com/Golden_Mean/
-Leading Lines:
Leading lines plays well with rule of thirds many times. In simple terms, leading lines help the viewer "enter" in to a photograph and gives your eye direction as to where to travel within the frame. This typically lends well to an overall macrocosmic leading line, but can be executed in a microcosmic way as well if done properly. You need to keep an eye out for diagonals that cut through a frame, or s curves that may end in one of the leading thirds quadrant.
For a small piece on Leading lines, please click here:
http://blog.fotonomy.com/tips/creative-composition-leading-lines/
-Foreground Interest:
Foreground interest is exactly like it sounds like. Even though photographs are two dimensional in nature, a picture with "foreground interest" can create depth in the image and draw the viewer into it in the same manner that a leading line can. Typically, this technique is better used with wider lenses, but it isn't necessarily limited to them. The focal point can many times be the actual foreground interest or it can be the rear interest that is the focal point. You want to have a sense of connection between the two objects. They should not be two seperate indvidual objects that have nothing in common.
Here is a very brief article on this subject:
http://www.photoanswers.co.uk/Advice/Search-Results/Techniques/How-to-use-foreground-interest/
Those are the basic ones I would like to emphasize here for our purposes, but there are more advanced techniques as well that we can discuss if you are up for it.
Some of these include:
-Perspective
-Shape/outline Silhouette
-High Key/Low Key
-Symmetry
-Pattern
-Texture
-Macro photography
Let me know if you have any questions.