| When you press your eye to the viewfinder of your | | | | tend to focus comfortably. This approach is more |
| camera, a blank canvas is placed before you. Similar | | | | interesting than a "Bulls Eye" type snap shot. This is |
| to more traditional artists, you can paint a vertical shot | | | | commonly referred to as the "Rule of Thirds". |
| or a horizontal shot. That's your first decision in basic | | | | If you get a nice shot, what usually happens? You |
| composition. "Is my subject up and down, or does it go | | | | frame it and put it on your wall. Why do you frame it? |
| side to side?" If your subject is up and down, you | | | | Because it draws attention! In the children's story |
| should be holding your camera in a vertical position. | | | | "Charlotte's Webb", Charlotte concludes that people |
| Too often people say, "oh, they can crop that later." | | | | believe what they see in print. Likewise, people believe |
| Yes, they can. But why let them? This is your | | | | if something is framed it must be important. So why |
| masterpiece, why hand them the brush? | | | | wait? When shooting, framing means something in the |
| Second point to consider . . . how big a print do you | | | | foreground that sets off, or "Frames" your main |
| want? You do realize of course that different size | | | | subject. Framing helps create a sense of depth by |
| prints have different proportions. In other words, if a | | | | creating opposition. Start framing your shots, while you |
| group of ten people just barely fit in your 5x7 print and | | | | take them. |
| then someone asks you to make an 8x10 print; | | | | The last point in basic composition is . . . if it doesn't add |
| someone will be missing or cut in half on the larger | | | | to the shot, get rid of it! Get closer. Don't stand twenty |
| print. Giving your subject room on either side so that | | | | feet away and say you're taking a portrait. If your |
| you can enlarge later is NOT the same as letting the | | | | subject consists of one or two main subjects, they |
| lab make up for your mistakes. | | | | should fill up 80% of that viewfinder, not 20%. This |
| Third point to consider . . . where on the canvas is your | | | | takes us back to the beginning. If you're shooting one |
| subject going to be? Centuries ago, Greek Artists | | | | person standing and the camera is in the horizontal |
| discovered the eye tends to focus on certain points in | | | | position, you're wasting 80% of your shot. Turn that |
| any given picture. If you divide your picture into thirds | | | | camera up on edge, step closer, and fill that frame with |
| both horizontally and vertically, the points at which | | | | your subject. Simply put, shoot from the beginning how |
| those lines intersect are the points where most people | | | | you want it to look in the end. |