Tip Tuesday : Basic Portrait Composition (Part 2 of 3)
“Composition” is basically the placement or arrangement of visual elements in a work of art with the intent to create an interesting outcome.
Here are 3 SIMPLE tips to help you compose a more interesting and effective photo.
1. Background: Be aware of what is behind your subject. This can make or break a photo. When in doubt, try to have a simple, uncluttered backdrop for your subject to be in front of, to avoid major distractions from your subject or focal point. On the other hand, be sure to include the background if it helps to tell the story of your subject.
2. Get Close: Another “when in doubt” safety net, is getting close up. If you don’t like the background, or it seems too messy or is irrelevant, consider “filling the frame” with your subject by walking up closer or zooming in. This will eliminate unwanted distractions, and can even increase the amount of detail seen in your subject, which can help create a more powerful image.
3. Eyes: This is a multi-tip. As humans, we are naturally drawn to look at eyes – even when looking at a person (or animal) in a photo, we are drawn in by the eyes and eyes are often the first thing we look for or at. Eyes are extremely important in a photo.
Sharp: If your subject is looking at the camera, ensuring eyes have tack sharp focus is imperative.
Placement: A safe rule of thumb, is to place the eyes of your subject in the top third of your photo (remember the grid lines on your phone / camera we talked about here).
Direction: The viewers eye is directed by the subject’s gaze. If your subject is looking to the left, you may want to consider that when composing your photo. Allowing space between the subject’s eyes and the edge of your photo creates a comfortable feeling for the viewer, where having less or no space between the edge of the frame and your subjects eyes/ direction they are looking, will probably make your viewer uneasy- use this to help create feeling in your image.
I hope these tips help you create better images. Please feel free to share this link with your friends.
XO Heather
P.S. Don’t miss Part 3 next Tuesday.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.