Apollo Technology Education: Digital Photography
The Six Photographic Guidelines
Key Concepts: pre-visualize, move in close, select or create a neutral background, emphasize lighting contrast, apply rule of thirds, croppers.
Beginning photographers may apply the general principles of composition by observing a few guidelines. These guidelines may be helpful as a start to composing photographers. However, moving beyond these starting points may prove a better way to express some intended visual ideas. When that is the case, do not hesitate to do so – experiment with a variety of ways to express ideas in photographs.
1. Pre-visualize the Intended Image: Keep the central idea in mind and visualize the final print. “Are the important details included?” “Are distracting ideas excluded?” “Are more significant details emphasized; the less significant subordinated?” “Are the important visual relationships revealed?” To gain control over the final image, photographers must manipulate many variables, including camera angle, distance aperture, exposure, contrast, processing, lens type and focal length. Even beginning photographers can improve their compositions by training themselves to pre-visualize their final images.
2. Move the Camera in as Close as Possible to the Subject Without Distortion: Doing so will increase the size of the subject in relation to other objects in the picture, and will tend to force unnecessary details out of the picture. If the camera cannot physically be moved in close, use a telephoto or zoom lens to achieve a similar effect. Moving too close can exclude unwanted details, and to include only wanted details and positioning the camera to frame the subject in the desired way are the most important ways to achieve emphasis, size, and location of the subject within the frame.
3. Whenever Possible, Select or Create a Neutral Background For the Subject: Try to move the camera into a position from which the subject can be viewed against a neutral background. If the background contains too many unnecessary or confusing elements, try a low-angle shot against the sky. If a neutral background cannot be selected, try creating one by using a shallow depth of field to throw the background details out of focus. With color photographs, select backgrounds of solid colors or colors of relatively low saturation and value. Avoid bright-colored backgrounds objects or profusions of colorful objects. Out-of-focus backgrounds tend to be neutral; the colors tend to emerge as focus is diminished. To reduce confusion, avoid using too many colors in any single photograph. Limit the colors to a few carefully chosen ones that express the visual idea.
4. Whenever Possible, Emphasize the Contrast Between the Subject and the Background: If the subject is brightly lit, try to shoot it against a dark or shadowed background. If the subject is dark, try to shoot it against a light background, such as a solid bright area or the sky. With color, emphasize the color of the subject by shooting against a background of contrasting or complementary hue, weaker in saturation and value. Select and organize colors within the photograph to lead the viewer’s attention to the important details and relationships in the scene. Colors perceived as brighter tend to attract attention first.
5. Use Contrast to Control Visual Energy: Use a wide range of tones and high contrast to heighten the sense of energy and activity in a scene. Alternatively, use a narrow range or tones and low contrast to convey a sense of tranquility and repose. With color, use contrasting or complementary hues and a variety of saturations and values to heighten the sense of energy and activity. Alternatively, use similar hues, saturations, and values to reduce the visual energy conveyed in the scene.
6. Apply the Rule of Thirds as a Guideline or Starting Point for Composing Photographs: Although the rule of thirds is a good starting point, do not hesitate to move beyond it or any other arbitrary rules if an idea is better expressed in other ways. The final test of a composition is how well it communicates the photographer’s idea, mood, and feeling. As far as possible, rely upon the viewfinder to compose pictures, not to subsequent darkroom printing controls.