How to analyse a photograph to improve my composition

[laurence_rochfort]

<p>I find I'm not very satisfied with my composition, I think I fall into the camp of people who will have to work at it rather than being gifted with inherent talent!</p>

<p>I've started collecting photos on this site and flickr that I find appealing with a view to analysing them, but could do with some advice. </p>

<p>I find I'm drawn to street photography, architectural and mechanical subjects. I think I've decided my images often lack a definite subject and consideration to tone and contrast.</p>

<p>To this end, I'm going to concentrate on black and white for a while, because I think it will help me hone my eye. Does that sound sensible?<br>

Would people describe how they go about analysing and critiquing their own and other's photographs?</p>

<p>Many thanks,<br /> Laurence.</p>

[laurence_rochfort]

<p>By collecting, I mean storing links which I then display on my PC like a contact sheet. I'm not reproducing or displaying other photographers work.</p>

[simon_hickie1]

<p>Hi. How familiar are you with concepts such as the Rule Thirds (for what it's worth), leading lines, positive & negative space, symmetrical and asymmetrical balance, etc etc.? If the answer is 'not a lot', then you need to gain an understanding of these. I have found the guidance on this site together with photoinf.com invaluable.</p>

<p>As for me, I look at three things. 1 - is it technically sound (colour, grain, verticals being vertical, appropriate lighting etc.). 2 - how does the composition stack up (does the eye make sense of the scene or does it wander wound aimlessly, weight, lines, position of subject in frame etc). 3 - how does it feel on an emotional level (does it tell a story, how do we engage with the people, landscape etc.).<br>

Hope this helps!</p>

 

[william_roberts4]

<p>What I do when I look at photographs (and I do somewhat like you do, except I do have a book with photos from magazines and other things that I keep for ideas and inspiration). But , when I look at photographs I like, I always try to write down what draws me to the picture, what I liked, what I would change, like Simon, I try to see if there is a theme or story. I usually keep these with the picture so I can reference. <br>

It seems tedious at first, but once you get into the habit, it becomes second nature.</p>

[Tim_Lookingbill]

<p>I'ld suggest you first get in the habit of feeling what you're seeing rather than trying to create pictures that are in your head and looking around for reality to piece it together for you.</p>

<p>Look around you, note what you feel and whether it makes you want to place it in a frame and trip the shutter. Note if framing it changes the feeling and move in all 3D directions to get back or enhance that feeling. You can't fake feeling and emotion. Your feelings will be unique to you and you alone so it will be impossible for you to copy what others have already done.</p>

<p>The results must please you because you're the one that's going to be looking at these images for years on end when others either hate, like or have no opinion about them. Do you want to live with the results of what they say you should do rather than what you feel? I'm sure you know the answer to that.</p>

<p>You can learn the rules of composition as Simon indicates, just don't use it as a crutch as a way to make you feel something about what you're looking at that wasn't there to begin with.</p>

<p>Composition must be felt. Study those images that make you feel and pick them apart according to the placement of the light and dark that make up each element. I'm sure something will sink in.</p>

<p>When you get to that moment where you're saying to yourself..."That looks neat, but stupid (different) compared to what others have done"...you're there.</p>

[dan_south]

Laurence,

 

Regarding your own photos first, it's not a cure all, but try to crop them in different ways to see if you can create a stronger image. Then

the next time you use your camera, you can apply the same creative and selective cropping principles at capture time.

 

When shooting: Is it clear what your subject is? Is the subject presented well, I.e. in a way that communicates your feeling toward it? Are

there distracting elements in the frame, particularly along the edges? Would placement of the subject somewhere else in the frame or in

a different light improve the photo. How much non-subject space is in the photo and is it being used effectively?

 

Regarding the photos of other, ask yourself whether the photo could have been taken in another way - different crop, different lens,

different viewpoint, different lighting. Did the photographer succeed in making a strong image, or could it be improved or at least

clarified?

 

There are lots of resources on composition, but most of them are horrible. Do your own analysis and come up with some fresh ideas. Avoid any resource that focuses on the so called rule of thirds. It's not a rule and it's not very effective unless you want to look as though it's the only thing that you understand about composition.

[leighb]

<p>You might try "reverse engineering" photos that you like.<br>

When I was teaching photography the students found this quite valuable.</p>

<p>The idea is to envision the entire space where the photo was taken, and the conditions that existed at the time.<br>

This will tune your thought processes to seeing, rather than looking, when confronted by a scene.</p>

<p>Any photo is just an "executive summary" of an environment. <br>

It tries to capture in one image some portion of the real world around us.</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

 

[accystan]

<p>Hi Laurence:<br>

The other day I was reading a post on compostion on a very good website call Cambridge in Colour. You might find it, and it's references, interesting.<br>

<a href="http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/forums/thread16223.htm">http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/forums/thread16223.htm</a><br>

The so called 'rule of thirds' seems to get a lot of bad press, including here, but I think it's not a bad place to start from. It's too bad the word 'rule' is often used but the fact of the matter is we often don't like to see the focal point plonked vertically and horizontally in the middle of the frame (or right at the edge) so +/- 1/3 in and +/- 1/3 up or down seems to me to be a reasonable start. You can break the 'rules' later and make your own.<br>

Adreas Feininger, who was with 'Life' magazine many years ago wrote possibly the best book which I have ever read on composition. <br>

Good luck, Dave D</p>

[william_roberts4]

<p>Dave,<br>

What was the title of that book, if I may ask.<br>

Thanks,<br>

William</p>

[leighb]

<blockquote>

<p>What was the title of that book, if I may ask.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Principles of Composition in Photography.</p>

<p>Amazing what Google can find.</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

<p><br /></p>

[gdw]

<p>Or you could post some photographs to Pnet and ask for critiques. Give some idea what you want to know rather than the generic “tell me what you think” and you would most likely get some help.</p>

[william_roberts4]

<blockquote>

<p>Amazing what Google can find.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Well I did google him and got a list of about 50 books and half.com gave me three pages and I wasn't sure which one it was. </p>

 

[James G. Dainis]

I think it is a disservice to tell a beginning photographer to ignore any rules of composition and just do their own thing. If a novice spends a lot of time wiggle wagging their camera up and down, back and forth, when trying to frame a seascape, it would be a blessing to tell them to put the horizon on the top third and that sailboat on the left third. It is fine to study photos that one admires but how long would a novice have to look at seascapes before it dawns on them, "You know, most of these photos I like have the horizon on the top or bottom third of the photo" if indeed they ever realize that.

 

http://www.colorpilot.com/comp_rules.html

 

Often, when I see a person saying that one should ignore the rule of thirds, I will look at their portfolio and see that many of their photos reflect that rule. If I point that out to them they usually reply, "Well I didn't do it on purpose it is just that the photo looks better that way."

[mark_drutz]

<p>A good exercise to improve composition is to shoot a wide angle shot and then use the crop tool in Photoshop to find pictures within the picture.</p>

<p>There are rules, guidelines really, of composition. You should learn the rules first and then with experience you'll learn when to break them. There are many good books on composition. If you have a good bookstore, check it out. If not check your library, and if you find a good one, try to find a copy on Amazon or B&N.</p>

[jcuknz]

<p>If you are not satisfied with your composition then ask yourself why it is not pleasing and avoid repeating what you consider are mistakes. <br>

There are rules which are based on what the majority of people find pleasing but after awhile it becomes second nature to follow those guidelines becuase when you do the result pleases you ...<br>

I am at a loss to known if my acceptance comes from the balance of the picture or the following of the rules. But reseach has found that the 'Rule of Thirds' is based on a natural human response by people with no training in the visual arts. <br>

Then there is the "room to breath" rule which helps to balance photos where there is a directional thrust, every photo has this apart from mug shots. <br>

If you are a westerner your eyes probably move from left to right so you should avoid tonal distributions which permit or encourage the eye to leave the frame, dark is a barrier, white not. There are lots of other lines, crosses, circles which analysers talk about when assessing photos but that is all a bit heady.</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>There is already quite a lot of good advice, and as I do not know the current level of the OP, yes, the rule of thirds is a good place to start. But maybe you're more advanced, and then to me two other things mentioned might get you further. The reverse engineering idea is very valid,structurally study for yourself why a specific photo works for you. Try to verbalise it, as it's harder when you need to express it ("I like it" obviously not being enough).<br>

And the OP's own idea of working black and white; to me there is merit there too, though learning the effective use of colour is also worth the time. But for strict composition, B&W can be more revealing.<br>

Book-tip: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Eye-Composition-Design-Digital/dp/0240809343/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328301756&sr=8-1"><em>The Photographer's Eye</em></a>, by Michael Freeman. It will give you a lot of tools to do the analysis and reverse engineering.</p>

[Tim_Lookingbill]

<p>Never heard of reverse engineering emotions. Why else do we take pictures but on some type of emotional level.</p>

<p>Or maybe the OP works for the police crime lab and is shooting to collect forensic evidence. </p>

[dan_south]

Rule Of Thirds - where to begin?

 

I'm not going to get into a lot of detail because this is a beginners' forum, but I think we can clarify a few points.

 

First of all, yes, it is unfortunate that it's called a rule. The word 'rule' implies that if you break it you are doing something

wrong. There are plenty of excellent photographs with centered subjects and evenly split horizons. Nothing went wrong

when the rule was broken.

 

I believe that the 'rule' is quite useful when dealing with horizon lines. Split horizons are often unattractive, although, as

mentioned sometimes they work just fine. However, just about any amount of offset will do. A lot of great landscape

photos set the horizon line at ten percent from the top of the image for a very small sliver of sky. Or it may be closer to the middle at forty percent. Aiming for precisely one third from the top or bottom of the frame is far too restrictive a practice. Better to call it the rule of not splitting things directly in half.

 

The 'rule' is less useful for placing subjects. Imagine an interesting mask hanging on a plain wall. Centering the mask might be

fine, especially if it takes up most of the frame. If the image has more wall than mask, however, you'll probably want to

offset the mask. So you put it on one of the intersecting thirds lines. But how to you place it there? Does the center of the mask

go directly on the intersection? Or do you put one side of the mask at that point? Or feature such as an eye hole? One third on both dimensions or in only one? There's no clear indicator as to which of these placements would be preferable, so the photographer has to use their judgment anyway.

 

Instead of quoting the rule of thirds as though it's some mathematically optimized model of compositional perfection, encourage

photographers to avoid centering subjects - unless centering really works well for that image - and to find spatial ratios

that appeal to their own eye rather than subscribing blindly to some sophomoric 'rule' that everyone on their Uncle Bob is trying to follow.

 

There, I hope that wasn't too painful. :-)

[jcuknz]

<p>The rule of third works for the mask on a wall because in addition to the four third points there are the two third lines either horizontally or vertically. It is a rule but not everybody follows it just like people break the speed limit while driving, but we don't object to police/ambulence breaking it for good purpose.<br>

Obviously Dan Smith is an unbeliever and those people love to decry the well established rules and guides to visual appreciation. I don't think such sentiments should be in an answer in the beginners forum. I explained my position in my first contribution. The trouble these days is that in their desparate attempts to 'be different' people break the rules for that reason rather than good argument based on the subject matter.</p>

[laurence_rochfort]

<p>Hello everyone,</p>

<p>Thank you all for the comprehensive and contrasting responses.</p>

<p>To answer a couple of posters, I wouldn't say I'm a beginner, however I think it's often worthwhile to behave and ask questions as if you were. The moment you think you've heard it all before you can easily overlook the obvious.</p>

<p>The Rule of Thirds seems to be a good case in point. Arguments for and against aside, I think I shall go back to my photos and see how those I like and dislike fit in with the rule. I like the idea of going back and cropping my photos differently, I shall do so and then try to keep my observations in mind in future.</p>

<p>I had actually bought Michael Freeman's book the other day and like it a lot. The examples are clear and importantly offer different examples of initial composition and subsequent cropping. I found Principles of Composition for £8 online, so that's on its way too.</p>

<p>I will upload my photos for critique soon, but unfortunately I use film and can't digitize at present. I've just bought a digital camera because I think the instant review will prove useful.</p>

<p>Thank you all again.</p>

[donbright]

<p>There is so much great advise here for you already. There is so much to absorb, that can feel daunting when you already feel as if theres a handicap somewhere, but it realy isn't. Photography and the will to portray ones interest and feeling towards a subject isn't neccesarily easy. There is work involved in this, and peeling back the onion takes longer for some over others, but that doesn't mean one doesnt posess artistic, or creative ability. Within the mode of assembleing a composition of a scene, and from what I'm hearing from you, you would like to find yourself doing so with a feeling of naturality while doing it. That will come, but I advise bombarding your mind with images from masters. The old saying, Standing on the shoulders of giants will help one to see farther, or something like that. Bombard, or expose you vision to imagry from the greats, and at some time it will come to you. In a way your not dealing from a deficit condition just because of your lack of experience. I'm impressed that you know it should feel right while doing it. Because while taking pictures, a good result isn't because there was pain involved in that moment, Its the compilation of prior experiences with the camera with failures and succeses that brings the better result. There will be a time when you feel like you are 3/4 ways up the mountain, then one day your stuff looks aweful. Hard to take with the thought, 'your only as good as your last act'. I don't believe in that notion, but some do. Good days and bad days are a fact of life with everything. The thing is with the camera, it never lies so then we as Photographers have the luxury of having the truth pointed out to us with evey click, click! Your right it should feel good, and you know that when it does the result should be satisfying too.</p>

[ammlan]

<p>Dear Rochfort! I will suggest the following:<br>

1. Open Photo.net and then browse gallery link : http://www.photo.net/gallery/ then browse the photo category of your choice.<br>

2. Read the article on Guidelines for better photographic composition from the following link : <br>

http://photoinf.com/General/KODAK/guidelines_for_better_photographic_composition.html</p>

<p>:-)</p>

[jaydesi]

<p>B&H just posted <a href="http://bhpho.to/xkMZGV">this video</a> of a 2-hour lecture on composition, about the rule of thirds and going beyond it. Interesting stuff, I haven't gotten all the way through it myself yet.</p>

[dan_south]

<p>Would someone perhaps consider answering the detailed questions that I presented above as to where to position the mask against the background? It might take some trial and error, but it's a very good exercise. :-)</p>

<p>I haven't watched the entire B&H video, but what I've seen so far is excellent!</p>