What is Composition?

Composition is what makes or breaks a picture; it is the placement, arrangement or organization of the component or subject/s in a camera frame.

The goal of composition is to create a strong compelling image that makes sense instantly to anyone who views the image. It is about getting the basic underlying structure of a photograph to register on an elementary level in our subconscious mind. Composition captures and holds our attention while directing it within the picture.

Composition and Framing

Composition is an art and it comes naturally to some people, for the rest of us it is an art that can be studied and mastered. It is the arrangement of the different components in a picture in relation to each other. The only way to re-arrange a composition is to change your perspective or view-point by moving your camera along one of the four dimensions, left or right, in or out, up or down, angled left or angled right; the only way to do this is before taking the picture.

Framing on the other hand is pointing the camera, and either zooming in or out. It doesn't have anything to do with the positioning of the different components of a picture. After the picture is taken framing can be changed by cropping.

There are many composition guides and in themselves enough to write a book about, since this article is aimed at the beginner, we will be focusing on the common traditional compositional techniques listed below;

• Simplification & Brevity
• Limiting Focus (Bokeh)
• Rule of Third (Golden Mean)
• Rule of Odds
• Rule of Space
• Geometry and symmetry

 Simplification & Brevity

Photography is a story and like all stories there should be a structure, this structure is the composition, and is made up of the compositional components. 

Brevity a very important concept in photography means showing as much as we need and no more, this means we must learn to compose our story using the least number of component. This involves getting rid of all the distracting components in a picture, and creating a perfect balance of the remainder before pressing the shutter.

Composition has been described as making order out of chaos; in this respect brevity and simplification goes hand in hand.

Simplicity, a large part of composition in photography is making sure that the biggest, most obvious components are properly arranged by keeping them as simple and straightforward as possible.

In conclusion the more components included in a picture the more the clutter, the weaker the picture becomes; whereas the less extraneous content included the

stronger the impact of the picture.

Limiting Focus (Bokeh)

This is a technique in photography whereby everything that is not the subject of the photography is placed out of focus. This is achieved by using a wide aperture lens, usually f2.8 or smaller to get a narrow depth of field. This is also a simplification method which focuses the eyes on the subject since it is the only thing in focus.

Bokeh is the term that describes the blur in the out-of-focus areas of an image and it occurs for parts of the photograph outside the depth of field. It is defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light". There is good and bad Bokeh.

Good Bokeh is when the blur around an image in a photograph is pleasing to the eye, while bad Bokeh is when the blur around the image is unpleasant or distracting to the eye. Good or Bad Bokeh is determined by the lens aberrations or lens quality.

Rule of Third (Golden Mean)

The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design. The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.

This is based on the fact that the human eye is naturally drawn to a point about two-thirds up a page. Crop your photo so that the main subjects are located along one of the lines or around the intersection points rather than in the center of the picture frame. When photographing people, it is common to line the body up with a vertical line, and having the person's eyes in line with a horizontal one.

The Golden Mean is basically a mathematical ratio.  Mathematicians have argued over who discovered it, Pythagoras or Vitruvius. It is related to the rule of third, in that if we take anyone of the two equally-spaced lines in the rule of third either horizontally or vertically, there is a ratio between the rectangle left on both side, this is to be expected since the lines are drawn equally distanced from each other,  we use this ratio within our picture to get a proportion that has been found extensively in nature, and is also pleasing to the eye.

Another practical way to use the Golden Mean in photography is to find the "Golden Points". 

The Golden Points are places within the picture plane on which to place subjects which will give a more aesthetically pleasing composition, and this is the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines for the rule of third.

Rule of Odds

The "rule of odds" states that by framing the object of interest with an even number of surrounding objects, it becomes more comforting to the eye, thus creates a feeling of ease and pleasure. It is based on the assumption that humans tend to find visual images that reflect their own preferences/wishes in life more pleasing and attractive.

The "rule of odds" suggests that an odd number of subjects in an image is more interesting than an even number. This means it is better to have three subjects in the frame than two.

Rule of Space

The rule of space is applied to photography where the photographer wants to apply the illusion of movement, this is done by leaving an empty space in the direction the eyes of the subject is looking. The same applies when capturing a runner's photograph, empty space also called white space in photography terms; is added in front of subject rather than behind to indicate movement.

Geometry and symmetry

Related to the rule of odds is the observation that triangles are aesthetically pleasing, and shapes with implied shape within an image is pleasing to the eyes. For example, in a generally recognized attractive face, the mouth and eyes normally fall within the corners of the area of an equilateral triangle.

You can't have photography without this

Light is all around us and it is what allows us to see things, It reflects off objects around us. This reflection is carried to our eyes which then transfers the information to our brains. The same is true for a camera; light reflected from our subject is focused by the camera lens onto our recording media which in a digital camera is the electronic sensors.

Now, because the camera is not as accurate as our eyes in transferring and recording images (this will be discussed in later postings) we need to understand lights and the limits of our camera and how to overcome these limitations when possible.

Light comes in a variety of colours determined by the source; and each creates a different atmosphere in our photographs.

There are three main types of lights; there is visible light which is visible to the human eyes and there is infrared and ultraviolet light both which are invisible to the human eye. For our purpose here we will be concentrating on visible light.

Visible light comes from two sources, there is natural light and artificial light. Natural light is either sunlight or moonlight. Artificial light is light from a man-made source and of which the most common are light bulbs and fluorescent lamps.

Hard light, soft light, transmitted light and reflected light

Hard light is when the light comes from a small light source, it has a sharp glare with high contrast and the shadows created have sharp edges. An example is the sun on a clear day, because the sun is so far away it acts like an extraordinary bright light bulb in the sky. Other examples include a bare light
bulb, spot light or a photography flash. Hard light reveals textures very strongly and this can be used
creatively in your photographs.

Soft light is when the light is diffused, this means the light is spread out and not as focused or hard as direct sunlight, it generally comes from a light source that has a large surface area, it has a low contrast and hardly any shadow. An example is the sun shining through a large mass of cloud which becomes the light source, the sun shining on an overcast day or a big window with a lace curtain. If soft light is used incorrectly the photograph will end up looking dull.

Transmitted light is when the source of light is visible in the photograph, an awareness of the effect of transmitted light in a photograph allows you to use it creatively.

Reflected light is when the source of light is not visible; this is the type of light around us most times since every time our eyes see an object it is because light has been reflected off the object to our eyes.

The best time for taking outdoor pictures is the time called the “Magic Hour” by photographers; this is half an hour before and after sunset or sunrise. During sunset and sunrise we get both hard light from the direct sunlight with reduced intensity or harshness; and soft light from the sunlight diffused
across the sky. This combination makes for more interesting photographs.

In moonlight or for night-time pictures a tripod is recommended because you will be using slow shutter speed, hand-holding your camera when using slow shutter speed will lead to blurry images.

Pay attention to the types of light around you; is it hard light or soft light? Can you sense the colour with your naked eyes? How does your photograph look with one form of light to the other? What is the photograph atmosphere like?

Paying attention to the different types of lights and their effects on your photograph is the first step in understanding exposure (will go into more details on exposure in later postings).

What Is Portrait Photography?

 Portrait photography also called portraiture is the capture of the likeness of a person or a small group in which the facial expression is predominant. The goal is to capture the likeness, personality and even the mood of the subject.

When taking portraiture the rule of thumb here is to have your subject in full focus and the background out of focus since you want the emphasis to be on the person rather than the location; and you don’t want distracting elements in the frame. You might choose a particular background based on how it might look blurred, but the emphasis will always be on the subject.

With a group shot you usually want to keep everything sharp. You also want to pay attention to the type and amount of light around. You control the amount of light striking your subject by manoeuvring them and changing their position in relationship to yours, being able to choose the angle at which light strikes your subject is what allows you more control over the final result.

It is this requirement for control over lighting that has bought Studio Portrait Photography into its own. Here using the increasingly sophisticated cameras and lighting equipment available, the imaginative photographer can experiment to their hearts content.

Focus in portraiture is the Eyes, with the camera at eye-level and if not, ensuring the eyes is still looking into the camera. The aim is to enhance and highlight the positives in the facial features while playing-down the negatives. A full portrait is where the whole body is also included in the focus and, photographers have responded by coming up with props to enhance the other areas of the body. These includes things like chairs, stands and beds, to name a few.

The camera and lighting equipment available, for example the use of different coloured backlights coupled, with the props; in which you are only limited by your imagination, has allowed photographer to be as expressive as they choose in generating, or accentuating subjects based on their artistic interpretation of the subject’s feature.

Sophisticated lighting has made Studio Portrait Photography an artform and photographers are now able to use the finer control they have over lighting to try and engage audience by presenting their own unique artistic interpretation of the subject and thereby generate emotions in their audience.

To be a portrait photographer you have to have very good communication skills, you have to be able to project confidence, assurance and relaxation so as to make your subject/s feel relaxed, comfortable and safe enough to be vulnerable or let down their guards. Telling funny jokes during multiple camera capture is a very good way of getting natural looking shots. For the family portrait photographer, more emphasis is in dealing with kids, while a pet portrait photographer must love animals.

Tips

Prepare; where are you going to do the shoot, indoors or out door. Outdoors; what will the light be like at that time of the day? What will the weather be like, do you need to reserve an indoor location? What to do to ensure there is enough lighting. Scout the area, which background do you want to use? Indoors; what kind of lights do you have available? do you need batteries or is electricity assured. Which equipment; cameras, batteries, lens, memory card. You can either use prime or zoom lens with large aperture; the best is from f/1.8, because it is this wide aperture that allows the shallow depth of field (bokeh) that is so prized in portrait photography.

Nero Benga is a photography enthusiast with over five years experience teaching people how to take good photographs. He lives at the airport.

Golden Nuggets One

These are knowledge that will stand you in good stead in your photography adventure.

It is very important if you are new to digital photography to take things step by step. This means doing your homework, and not running off to the photography store to buy a Digital SLR camera, they are expensive piece of equipment and you might end up spending money that you don’t need to spend, buying something that is not ideal for what you have in mind. You need to know what is meant by pixel, resolution, CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) and CMOS, Shutter lag, Optic and digital zoom, Digital image, JPEG, TIFF, RAW, etc

A trick to getting good quickly in Digital Photography is to get a good compact camera, one that gives you the most option in manually setting the aperture, shutter speed and ISO (might be labelled Sensitivity on a compact) and get to know it very well.

Why, because compact camera (point & shoot) are very portable and versatile, you can have it with you all the time (giving you the opportunity to practice taking more pictures), trying all the different combinations of the available setting and getting to understand what impact they have on your final picture will also help you understand the impact & importance of the three triad of aperture, shutter speed and ISO for when you buy a DSLR.

Composition

Composition means arrangement: the orderly putting together of parts to make a unified whole. There are basic principles that govern the way visual elements behave and interact when you use them in the four borders of a photograph or the visual arts. When we have an understanding of the three composition rules, we will then be able to make our photographs more exciting and effective. The rules are:

- Rule of Third

- Golden Section Rule

- Diagonal Rule

Optical and digital zoom

These are two important terms used in digital photography and you need to know the difference. When choosing a camera it is important to know the lens zoom range, the type of zoom is vital for the quality of the final photos. The OPTICAL zoom range is the one you want to know, when you zoom optically you will get closer to the subject and the maximum details are recorded by the camera. In digital zoom the picture is cropped and enlarged inside the camera electronically. This is not as important as you can get the same effect later using your photo editing software.

Image quality & Picture size

Picture Size and Image Quality have a direct effect on photographs when they are printed. Lots of people often think picture size and image quality are the same thing, and mistakenly go for quantity over quality. Though they are linked, they are very different and should not be overlooked when setting up your camera.
Picture Size is the measurement of your final picture in pixels (the little colour dots that make up your image). The measurement 1600×1200 is 1600 pixels wide and 1200 pixels high, giving a total of 1920000 pixels in your final image.
Image quality determines how the camera processes and stores the final image. A lower quality image will give you more space for storage on your memory card by reducing the number of pixels stored. It does this by removing pixels from the overall image in order to get it to a certain size; these removed pixels can never be restored. So the more the quality of your image the better the quality of your photographs.

Pixels

A digital photo is built from a number of pixels; these are small coloured dots which together forms a grid pattern resulting in the final picture. It is similar to the way an artist creates a painting by combining little bits of paint, thousands or millions of pixels are also combined to create a detailed and seemingly continuous image. The more pixels there are the more details there is in the picture. Note that the quality of the final picture is determined by the way the sensors in the camera process the pixels (image quality) and different cameras do this differently.

CCD and CMOS

CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)
These are the two most common image sensors used in digital cameras. The sensors collect and convert light into electrons which is then processed and stored in a digital format on the memory card. Sensors in compact digital cameras are smaller and have more noise than the bigger DSLR sensors, even if the cameras have the same megapixels. CCD sensors are better but they consume much more power than CMOS sensors. The better the sensor the less the noise introduced.

Digital image file types

There are many digital image file types used in today’s digital photography. What are the differences between all the digital image file types and are all of them needed?
The size of a digital file is expressed as Megabyte (MB). The higher number the more space the file needs on your memory card. Different file types takes up different amount of space on your memory card. Another important issue with the different file types is the way they are compressed. A heavy compressed file will loose some image quality, but you save space.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

This is the most commonly used digital image format. This file format is very compatible with web browsers, image viewers, and image editing software. The images can be compressed by a factor of 10 to 20 compared to the uncompressed original with very little loss in image quality. Most files on the web are saved as JPG.
The advantage is relatively small file size. Most digital camera stores files as JPG. You can choose how much the file should be compressed by the camera. High compression removes information (pixels) from the file. Once removed, the information is lost forever. If you later want to edit the picture in editing software, you might experience quality loss.
As memory card are quite cheap now, I recommend shooting your picture at the maximum of what the camera is capable of doing

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)

This is a flexible image format that normally saves 8 or 16 bits per color – red, green and blue – for a total of 24 or 48 bits. TIFF is a much used file standard in the printing industry because TIFF is capable of handling device-specific color spaces, such as the CMYK.
You keep more information in the file as the compression is less and much better that JPG compression. The size of a TIFF file is bigger compared to a JPG. More advanced digital cameras can store files in TIFF format.

RAW

This is a loss-less compressed file format, and by far best way of saving photos as there is no quality loss. Recently RAW has become one of the most important of the digital image file types and the one most mentioned in both photo magazines and on the web. Storing the image in RAW format means the data from the sensor is stored without any processing from the camera. You need special software to process the data.

Exposure

Exposure will make or break a photograph. I am sure we have all had the experience of taking what we believe will be a great picture, only to have the picture as either too dark (under-exposure) to make anything out, or so light (over-exposure) that all the details are bleached out.
The culprit is our knowledge or lack of, in balancing the three areas that determine Exposure; they are Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO settings.

ISO (International Standards Organisations) – It is the sensitivity that the film or digital sensor has to a given amount of light. The higher the ISO the more sensitive it is so that you can shoot with less available light.

Aperture – This is the size of the hole (or gap) inside the camera lens through which light enters the camera. It works like the iris in the eye – it can be larger when the light level is low to allow more light in, or it can close up very small when it is very bright.
Shutter speed – This is the length of time that light is allowed to come through the aperture onto the sensor that record your picture. It’s like opening and closing the curtains.

Understanding exposure – Achieving the correct exposure has been described like putting a cup under a steady running water tap, how much water we collect is determined by 1, The size of the cup (width). 2, How long we leave it under the tap (time). And 3, The amount of water we want to collect (quantity). We need to ensure we don’t collect too little “underexposure” or too much “overexposure”. To get the right exposure for any photograph we need to develop an understanding of how much light we need (how much our surrounding has), and the proficiency to determine how much aperture (width), shutter speed (time) and ISO setting (quantity) will give us the best light for what we have in mind.

What Camera to Get - Compact or DSLR?

With the prices of Digital SLR camera at an all time low many amateur photographers are getting them.  What usually happens is after the first few months the novelty wears off and this relatively expensive piece of equipment ends up gathering dust on the shelf.  There are key questions you need to ask yourself before going out and purchasing a digital slr camera.

What type of photography interests you?

This is the most important question you need to ask yourself – Why do you want to buy a dslr?  Is it because you have a growing family and you wish to capture those special moments?  Or is it because you want to be able to capture fascinating holiday shots with a camera that gives you more control over normal auto function settings?
If these are your only reasons I will say you do not need a dslr.  The compact (point and shoot) cameras are really developed now and there are even compact cameras, e.g. Canon SX40 HS, Nikon Coolpix L120, that give you the flexibility you need in terms of taking pictures using the manual settings.

If you intend to take up photography as a serious hobby or become professional in future and you have reached the limitations of your current point and shoot camera, and you are also ready to commit to the costs involved in having a digital slr, then I will say go for it.

If you are a budding amateur photographer without a compact camera, and you are not yet sure if a dslr is for you, I recommend you get a compact camera first.  With the high end compact cameras now available with a host of manual settings that mimic a dslr there is not necessarily a need to get a dslr unless you are at a stage where you require flexibility and the professional edge that multiple lens will give you.  You must be willing to bear the fairly higher price.  A budding amateur will unlikely be at this stage yet.

Are you motivated enough?

Having a dslr does not make you a good photographer, and having the kind of functionality you will get from a dslr at your fingertips
does not mean you will know when or how best to use them. People sometimes think having a dslr camera will make them go out to take great pictures, while this might be the case, having a dslr will not necessarily motivate you to put in the time necessary to master the basics. Like all skills, getting good at photography has a learning curve which means lots of effort and time has to be spent mastering the basics, these basics includes lighting, composition and the exposure triage (to name a few), after which you then need the necessary practise which you only get by shooting lots of picture. So the first question you need to honestly ask yourself is do you have (the motivation) a strong enough will and desire, to put in the time required to get the knowledge and practise to become a good photographer?

Do you already have a Compact Camera?

One of the key reasons why it is important to have a compact camera, whether you are an amateur or a professional photographer is the flexibility you enjoy in its ease of use and portability.   I have had numerous times where going out and lugging along my heavy and cumbersome dslr camera is no option.  But if you are serious about photography you will never know when that wonderful opportunity for that wonderful picture will present itself and capturing it means you always have to have a camera on hand.  A compact camera serves this purpose; they are portable and generally easy to use.  Another reason to make your initial outlay on a good compact camera is to enable yourself to master the basics quickly.  Having a camera you will not be hesitant to carry it around at all times gives you the opportunity to practice taking picture and as we all know repetition is the source of all skills; and surely practice makes perfect!

Have you factored in the Costs?

Photography is an expensive hobby even with dslr prices as low as they are now you have to consider the cost of lens and other accessories for your camera such as lens filters, lens hood, external flashes, memory cards, extra batteries, camera bags and tripods.  To make this kind of expenditure on an item you only use once in a while when there are cheaper options that can serve similar needs will not be the smartest move.

Is Size and Weight an issue?

As mentioned previously, dslr cameras are not the lightest and easiest piece of kit to carry around – they are heavy especially when you have to consider the necessary accessories you need.  These quickly add up in weight and they are not exactly sturdy and effort must be made to ensure they are not damaged.  They are definitely not the ideal thing to carry to a party or holiday on the beach unless if you are prepared to put in the effort to ensure your camera’s safety.

Maintenance

A dslr requires regular maintenance unlike a compact camera.  There are lots of things that could go wrong during regular usage that will not fall under the D.I.Y repair (e.g. image sensor cleaning). You have to sometimes take them to the store to have them cleaned internally or serviced to ensure the optimum results for your photographs.  There is also basic general maintenance i.e. cleaning your lens.  You need to do this regularly so your camera lasts you for a long time.