SHOOT BETTER: Composition

Southern Croatia

Have you ever looked at an image and not understood why you liked it?  There was something about it that moved you but you just couldn’t put your finger on it.  (And you really wished you could figure it out so your photos could look that good!)   

More than likely, it was the photo’s composition. Good composition makes for a good image. Without it, the viewer can be left uninspired or even confused.

What is composition anyway?  And what makes it good? In photography, it refers to how you fill your frame, the way you organize and balance the details of the image.  It’s how you tell your story.

What makes it good is harder to define.  As in any art, there is no right or wrong, only the artist’s vision. There are, however, techniques and guidelines that can help you more effectively and even more profoundly tell your story.

Rule of Thirds & Negative Space

While Rule of Thirds and Negative Space are two different composition tools, I almost always use them together when setting up a shot.

If you’ve ever taken an art class, you are probably familiar with Rule of Thirds.  Imagine a tic-tac-toe board over your image. Anywhere the lines intersect is where the strongest focal points will be.  The eye is naturally drawn to these areas. 

Negative space is the area around the subject.  It isn't necessarily empty space.  (Think of your subject as the positive space.)  When used with Rule of Thirds, the negative space pushes your eye to the subject.  It can be quite effective, even dramatic. At the very least, it balances your photo. 

Shooting from atop a mountain sounds like a cool idea but it can be challenging.  Distance and haze can create a flat image without a lot of detail and no real focal point. 

From the top of Pike's Peak

A better idea is to travel down the mountain so you can get more detail in your photo. By adding the rocky foreground into the left and bottom thirds of the image, my photo has a clear and interesting subject. 

Pike's Peak, Colorado

Once while hiking, I found the forest floor to be very lush and colorful. I decided to get down on the ground and capture a mushroom in its wonderful environment.  In the first image, the mushroom is directly centered in the composition. It's static and not much else seems to be of any significance. It's just ok.  The photo below has the mushroom positioned in the lower right third of the image.  

Now the forest in the background becomes part of the story. It's no longer just about the mushroom but about its place in the forest.  

Don't be afraid to get down on your belly! It's a great perspective!
Ouachita National Forest, Oklahoma

The expression "Can't see the forest for the trees" accurately describes the dilemma when taking photos in the woods.  With so many trees, what is your focal point? The branches and leaves make the image busy and chaotic. The viewer is not sure what to look at.

A better composition is to focus on one of the tree trunks and apply the rule of thirds. Your eye is drawn to the color and texture of  the trunk and the background of colorful leaves completes the story.  Now there can be peace in the forest. 

Hot Springs, Arkansas 

Rule of thirds doesn't just apply to one section of an image.  The composition in this photo brings your eye to the flowers in the bottom left third and then to the mountains in the top right third.  Not only is it well balanced but it tells a more complete story. 

Oak Creek, Colorado

In this beach scene, the plants are in the bottom left third, boy in the bottom right and sky in the top third. By spending just an extra couple of seconds thinking about this setup I got a much better photo than if I had centered him without the plants. 

Eleuthera, Bahamas

Get creative when taking beach photos.  There's lots of interesting things going on around you.  Waves splashing on rocks is one of my favorites.  (And because waves never stop coming you will have plenty of opportunity to get it right!)

The wave splashing in the bottom right third gives the image movement.

Pakoštane, Croatia

The best thing about a rule is breaking it.  There are times that a centered composition is much more effective.  In the photo below, centering this 400 year old oak tree makes the image powerful. 

Angel Oak
Johns Island, South Carolina

Come back next time for more helpful composition tips for your travel photography!

SHOOT BETTER, TRAVEL BETTER, LIVE BETTER!

Shoot Better

Tips for Improving Your Travel Photography

The question I get asked a lot is “How can I take better vacation photos?” Which is followed with “What camera should I buy?” or “I don’t know how to use my camera”.

With summer vacations right around the corner, there will be endless opportunities to capture cherished memories.  So, let’s get those questions answered!

Shooting at sunset makes colors rich and images sharp.
 Taken with GoPro Hero 4 camera.
Palermo, Sicily

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE CAMERA(well, not as much as you think)

Do not run out and buy an expensive camera. The quality of your camera is important but it’s not everything.  I think every professional photographer has heard, “Oh, I love your photo.  You must have a very good camera.”  It makes them cringe when they hear that.  You wouldn’t say to a chef, “This dinner is delicious.  You must have a good oven.”  The camera is only as good as the person using it. 

Time of day, composition, posing, and the right camera settings are the most important ingredients of an image.  Get those right and you will love your photo, regardless of what kind of camera you used. 

Well, that’s a lot to talk about.  For today, let’s “focus” on the Time of Day you shoot.

Time of Day. This is one of the easiest things to get wrong but also one of the easiest things to correct.  It doesn’t mean you can take better photos after your morning coffee (even though I think that’s true!)  It means plan your outdoor photo based on the position of the sun.

The Scenario

You are on vacation with your family. You've taken tons of photos of your kids in front of beautiful landscapes.(all around lunch time) The kids' outfits are coordinated, you found cute poses on Pinterest to use, you shot on beautiful sunny days.  So, why aren't your photos any good? What happened?

The Problem

Harsh shadows can ruin a photo. 

Poor quality of light.  Midday can be a very difficult time to take photos, especially of people.  The sun is harsh and creates unflattering shadows, particularly under the eyes and to the side of the nose.  Wrinkles on the skin are exaggerated and skin tone looks odd.  Some colors are washed out and others oversaturated. Glare from the sun prevents your camera from focusing properly and causes everyone to squint at the camera. 

Technically speaking, your photo stinks.
  

The Solution

A much better time to shoot is early in the morning or late in the day.  Maybe you have heard of the “Golden Hour”.  This refers to the hour after sunrise and before sunset.   The low hanging sun is filtered through more atmosphere removing the harsh blue rays and leaving soft diffused golden light.  Skin tone looks soft and colors are rich. Long shadows on the ground add depth and drama.

By facing away from the low sun we can achieve a halo of light. 

The Golden Hour allows you to get creative!  With this wonderful light you can create silhouettes, solar flares and most importantly…backlighting. With your subject’s back to the sun you can create a halo of beautiful light around their heads.  Because your kids are little angels, right? 

Photos taken within a couple of hours of the "Golden Hour" or with a little cloud cover will give you nice results as well.  Below is a photo taken at 8am in Utah.  The sun had been up for a couple of hours but you can see how soft and even the colors are.  This is also due to some partly clouded skies to help diffuse the sunlight.  

The photo below it is 2 days later but at 10am.  Can you see what a difference only 2 hours made?  The shadows on my face are so harsh I look like I have a beard!

Shooting early in the day with a little cloud cover diffuses the sunlight and produced a nice result.  
Somewhere in Utah

This photo was taken too close to midday with not enough cloud cover.  Produced harsh shadows.
Vermillion Cliffs, Arizona

Use the low sun to create cool silhouettes!
Eleuthera, Bahamas

A low sun is great for back lighting! (I stayed in this fabulous tent) 
Cody, Wyoming

Don't forget to hang out after your shoot 

and capture those fabulous sunsets! 

Sea brook Island, SC

Cody, Wyoming

Get up early and take a sunrise photo! 
The moisture in the morning air creates interesting textures.
Cody, Wyoming

An added benefit of shooting early in the day when traveling is FEWER PEOPLE to photobomb your background! Pick your favorite spot and come back the next morning right after sunrise.  Yes, this could be 6am or earlier!  Just jump out of bed and go. There’s nobody up that early to see what you look like.   You will have an amazing landscape all to yourself.

In my first attempt to take this, the background was filled with tourists.
I came back at 6am and got the shot I was looking for!
Taormina, Sicily

  But wait a minute…sometimes you can’t control what time you shoot, especially when traveling.

  If you must shoot in the middle of the day, follow these tricks. 

1.  Use a diffuser panel. A cloth diffuser is a simple and affordable tool to filter the harsh rays.  Light Diffusers at Amazon

This photo was taken at 3pm.  Notice the
 harsh shadows on the left and
hot spots on the right. 

We used a diffuser to filter the sun here.
See what a difference it makes?

2.  Pose your subject with their backs away from the sun avoiding any “hot spots” on their face or head. 

3.  If there is shade available, use it.  Make sure it’s FULL shade on their faces.  Dappled light is not flattering.

4.  Have subjects look away or at each other and NOT at the camera.  This will avoid under the eye shadows.  Using one person’s head to shade the face of another person is helpful too, especially with groups.

5.  Use a hood on your lens.  This can greatly reduce glare and flares from the sun and helps your camera focus.

6.  Use a polarizing filter on your lens.  These filters will reduce the exposure and are especially helpful with landscape photography. You can find these on Amazon or any camera shop.

7.  Use a flash. I know it sounds contradictory to use a flash when it’s sunny outside but it can fill in harsh shadows.  Flash photography can be tricky if you aren’t familiar with it so practice ahead of time. Too much flash will ruin a photo.

8.  Shoot on a cloudy day.  You won't get those beautiful golden tones but you will have great diffused light.  

9.  And last but not least...continue to come back to Lifedigs for more valuable travel photo advice!