Fundamentals of composition in photography - features, principles and objectives

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In this article we will try to tell you in as much detail as possible about the basics of composition in photography, floristry, design, architecture and other areas of creativity, as well as about what composition is and how to learn to feel and understand it.

What is composition

First of all, you should understand what role composition plays in fine and monumental art. This is a certain arrangement of objects, which allows you to express the idea of the creator with the greatest completeness, while giving it a holistic unity. Any person who more or less professionally begins to work in any field of art needs to know the basics of composition. But despite this, compositional solutions can be very diverse and interesting.

Laws of composition

There are several basic laws of artistic composition that are used in one way or another in all areas of creativity. Firstly, it is the law of integrity, by applying which the artist can create the perception of his work as a whole. The main characteristic of thisThe law is that the composition becomes indivisible, so the image in the picture cannot be perceived as the sum of several more or less independent parts.

The following law of contrasts suggests that they are both a combination and a struggle of opposites, carrying out the movement and development of the plot. There are several types - tone, color contrast of shapes, states and lines, and more. They are one of the main expressive means in the work.

The law of subordination in the composition determines the influence of the idea of the author of the work on all depicted objects. With the help of this law, the artist can express his opinion, give an assessment of what is happening - that is, fill the work with spiritual meaning, without which it was an ordinary handicraft.

And, finally, the so-called law of influence belongs to the basics of composition in art. It has the following meaning: if the object on the canvas is located far from the frame (that is, from the boundaries of the image), then it is perceived as being in the depths of space. On the contrary, if it is close to the frame, it looks like it lies in or not far from the boundary plane.

So, we have touched the basics in the visual arts. In the remaining parts of the article, we will move on to the specific rules of composition in various fields of art.

The basics of composition in photography

In order for the frame to turn out successful and attract the attention of the viewer, you must follow a few general rules,with which you can highlight important elements and emphasize their features.

First, pay special attention to contrast: light objects must be shot against a dark background, and vice versa, since the main subject must be instantly separated from the general space (although there are some exceptions to this rule). If you are photographing a person, then it is not recommended to do this against a colorful background - otherwise the subject will be out of focus. It is also undesirable to shoot people and animals against a brown or yellow background, otherwise the photo will look unnatural.

Shooting elements that make up the overall plot should not be randomly scattered throughout the space. The basics of composition and artistic photography suggest that it will be much better if they form some relatively simple geometric shapes - a triangle, a square, a rhombus. This looks much better. In principle, it is necessary that there be some semantic connection between the objects in the photograph, so that they are united by color, shape, or, for example, a line of sight. In addition, it is good to arrange them in accordance with the golden ratio, which is also the basis in drawing, composition and architecture. If you place the subject at points that are about one-third of the frame boundaries.

If the frame contains mostly vertical objects, it is better to photograph them vertically. Accordingly, if you are shooting landscapes, horizontal shooting is the best choice.

Good shooting point

Depending on the genre of photography, you need to choose the most suitable shooting point. So, to make a successful portrait, it is best to find a point at the level of the person's eyes. If this is a half-length portrait, then it is more profitable to find it at the level of the belt. In order to avoid distorted proportions, it is better to keep the lens at the level of the object being photographed, because, for example, photographing a person from above, you risk visually reducing his height. This is especially true for animals and children - it is preferable to take pictures of them, descending to the level of their growth. But if you need to make the photo more impressive and majestic, then you can shoot objects from a low point. Particularly good shots using this technique are those in which there are lively dynamic scenes, such as dancing or horse racing.

To make it easier for the viewer to focus on the frame, try to make sure that the horizon does not divide the image into two equal parts.

Features of the human brain

When building a harmonious composition, it is worth considering that we are used to reading information from right to left. For this reason, it is better to place the semantic center of the frame on the right side of the photo. And to make the composition look balanced, if there is a bright color spot in one part of the photo, then in the other part it is worth placing a similar or something else that will attract the viewer's attention, for example, action and movement.

By the way, as for movement: if it is in your photo, then it is better to place a moving object so that in front of itthere was always room for him to move.

When photographing people, one important point should be taken into account, which is often missed by inexperienced amateurs, and this is one of the basics of composition - it is highly undesirable to "cut off" people's limbs. It is better to photograph either the entire figure as a whole, or crop it at the level of the hips. It is much more correct to cut the arms to the shoulder, but in no case to the hand.

You should not allow the formation of large empty spaces in the frame - plains or water. It is necessary to place any objects suitable for the theme in these voids.

These are the most basic rules that should be followed to make the picture successful and as professional as possible. You can learn more about composition in various books on the subject, such as Mark Geiler's Fundamentals of Composition and Artistic Photography.

Composition in floristry

As for the basics of composition in floristry, there are also a few rules that must be followed. To maintain elegant proportions, they use the same classic rule of the "golden section", which in this case applies to both the bouquet and the vase in which it is located. If we conditionally divide the total height into eight parts, then only three of them should fall on the vase, and the rest - on the flowers themselves. With a horizontal arrangement of the floristic composition, the same rule applies.

In any bouquet there should be a focal point to which the viewer's attention is drawn, for example, onea large bright flower or, conversely, a group of small ones located closer to the edge of the vase. But you should not make it too large, so as not to spoil the whole composition in the end. Also important in it is the rhythm that can be achieved by alternating colors and shapes, changing the size of flowers.

No doubt it is important that the composition looks balanced and balanced. This effect can be achieved through visual techniques - for example, dark flowers look heavier than light ones, and round ones look more massive than tubular ones. There must be a stable balance between the top and bottom of the composition so that it does not fall apart, even if it is asymmetrical. To do this, place large flowers at the bottom of the bouquet. By the way, asymmetric bouquets are often built according to the rule of three triangles that have one common side, this is one of the foundations of a decorative composition.

You should also pay attention to the color scheme, referring to the unchanging color wheel, which contains all the warm and cold shades of the rainbow spectrum and shows their most successful combination. Warm colors visually enliven the composition, while cold colors make it more calm and balanced.

Composition in architecture

Speaking about the basics of architectural composition, one should distinguish between three of its types - frontal, deep-spatial and three-dimensional.

Front composition refers mainly to planar facades of buildings, the main coordinates in it are horizontal and vertical. A third coordinate appears in the volume, allowingto perceive the building in perspective, and in depth composition, the continuation of the building into the depth of space is taken into account.

The external appearance of the building - the exterior - always depends on the purpose and functions of the building, that is, on its internal appearance (interior). There are several basic compositional types of interior:

• hall, when all rooms are combined into one;
• centric, when smaller rooms are located around a larger room;
• enfilade, where the rooms are located one after the other;
• corridor, where the premises are located on both sides of the corridor connecting them;
• sectional, when the rooms are isolated from each other;
• mixed, combining all of the above varieties.

Also, an important role in the architecture of the city is played by the so-called ensembles, which are a combination of several buildings and other elements. The composition of the ensembles is divided into several types: free space, unlimited by nothing, spatial perspective located around (for example, squares, space limited by buildings or green spaces), as well as a panorama where the silhouette of buildings plays the main role.

Architectural laws of composition

If we talk about the specific laws of composition used in architecture, then first of all, these are the harmonious proportions of the building, to achieve which the “golden section” law, invented by Leonardo da Vinci, is often used. All buildings are naturally attached to man, and therefore must be proportionate to him. Rhythm, inwhich fit the elements of the structure, can give it a different mood - from dynamic to gloomy solemn. Contrast techniques are also used as the basis of composition in the constructive arts, here it is achieved using a certain combination of colors, shapes and volumes. Much also depends on symmetry or asymmetry, depending on the goals of the architect. And, of course, in an ideal composition there should be no unnecessary elements, so that the composition achieves harmony.

Design: composition

The same rules apply in this area as in all the others. The geometric center is also highlighted, which is usually located at the intersection of two diagonal lines from corner to corner. The compositional center may not coincide with it - sometimes it is deliberately shifted to create dynamic effects. But, as a rule, the compositional center of the image coincides with the semantic one. Various methods are used to highlight it from space - highlighting with color or light, size and shape.

The basics of composition in art require the following knowledge: dynamic compositions, unlike static compositions, are sometimes more beneficial in design, as they evoke a significantly greater number of associations in the viewer.

Symmetry usually does not cause difficulties for anyone, which cannot be said about asymmetry: such compositions should be carefully balanced, since for most, balance is the key to a psychologically adequate perception of the image. This balance canbe achieved using the ratio of sizes, shapes and colors of objects.

Graphic design also uses rhythm and meter. In this case, the rhythmic series means repetition, which is based on the change of elements, and the metric series means the repetition of groups of identical elements. But in any case, both of these techniques have been known to man since ancient times and help to streamline the surrounding space.

In order to achieve the illusion of space, one of the fundamentals of composition in design is color and aerial perspective. The essence of the latter lies in the fact that the severity of various contrasts is most pronounced on objects located visually close to the viewer. The farther the object in space, the weaker these contrasts. Accordingly, as the objects move in the image space, the colors weaken and become colder. Thus, these patterns allow you to create the illusion of width and distance. This is especially worth considering in a pictorial composition, where color plays almost the most important role.

A few words in conclusion

The article reflects only the most basic rules that should be considered when building a composition - in reality there are many more. In the finale, it is worth recalling: despite the fact that the fundamentals of composition are in fact its laws, they do not have to be performed thoroughly. However, before you break them, you should study these laws well and learn how to use them. As you can see, the basics of composition in photography, painting, architecture, and design are the same and intertwined.