Showing posts with label Composition. Show all posts

Monday, August 1, 2022

Post 191: Composition 21. Look at Your Edges for Distractions

Composition: Look at Your Edges for Distractions

This is Part 21 of my series on Composition and the final "rule". Let me know if you have enjoyed them!

Photographers learn to look at the entire frame before snapping the image. And obviously in editing, they crop the image to avoid oddities at the edges of the photo. A partial person walking into or out of the image is left out when possible.

Positive space is generally referred to the subject(s) that should be the focus of the viewer's attention.

Negative space can provide the frame around the subject(s) in the image.

Trapped space can occurs when an object in the image and the edge of the frame collide, which can result in a strange shaped light space. Remember, our eyes are drawn to lighter areas of the image as well, so that trapped space can be a distraction.

Cropping and editing can go a long way in taking out these odd areas and put the focus directly on your subject - aka the reason you took the picture in the first place.

Hopefully the cropping from these photos will give you an idea of what this all means.

Photo by Psk Slayer on Unsplash

Photo by Justin Buisson on Unsplash

Some photographers take the all or nothing approach to focus on their subjects - or include all or include nothing. I see it as get EVERYTHING in the original photos and crop it up! How about you?

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This is the very last part of a series of blog posts on the guidelines, or rules of composition. Look for all of them in the Search this Blog feature at the top right by searching for the word "composition". I hope you enjoyed the posts! Let me know in the Comments.

Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Monday, July 25, 2022

Post 186: Composition 20. Avoid Mergers

Composition: Avoid Mergers

This is Part 20 of my series on Composition

Color, Tone and Border Mergers

Mergers are when key areas of the main subject are overlapped, making it appear weird and should be avoided. Sometimes you can avoid a merger just by moving to the left or right before snapping the photo so that it doesn't look like that branch is growing out of the side of someone's head. Or that rock doesn't appear to be the person's overly large foot.

In photography, we should avoid cutting off people, whether in half, their head or feet, or have someone cut off by the border of the image. These are border mergers and they just aren't the best way to take the image. It is better to leave space around the people or the main subject.

Alternatively, the angle of the viewer - their perspective could be higher or lower angle to avoid weird mergers with whatever is in the background.

Something in the image that is very bright or very dark will draw the eye as discussed in previous Composition posts. Although the use of both is important in a composition, you don't want it to distract from your subject either. In photography, you may be able to crop the image to get a better focus on your subject.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

This photo cut off the man's arm and you are not sure who or what the main focus is - the baby, the man or the greenhouse. This is all besides the lighting is very bright and shadows are on the man's face. The poor child needs sunglasses.

Photo by Tobias Mrzyk on Unsplash

Spot the oddity here? One person has 2 heads and 3 legs. The photograph may have worked better if the shot was with each person separately defined against the background.

Typically, we could take a photograph of our subject and then crop it down later to display the best part. Its definitely easier to remove what you don't need than to add.

A funny merger in real life that I have seen is sitting at the dining room table with people and there is a painting or photograph framed and hanging on the wall, often exactly behind the person at the head of the table. So it looks like the person is IN the picture which can be pretty funny. Have you seen a funny merger too?

For further reading:

Merge Into the Background

Photography Rules of Composition: Eliminate Distractions

7 PHOTOGRAPHY MISTAKES I see all the time by Nigel Danson

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This is part of a series of blog posts on the guidelines, or rules of composition. Look for all of them in the Search this Blog feature at the top right by searching for the word "composition". I hope you enjoy the posts!

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Monday, July 18, 2022

Post 185: Composition 19. To Capture Subject Essence, Simplify

Composition: To Capture Subject Essence, Simplify

This is Part 19 of my series on Composition

To simplify is to get rid of all the foo-foo and fluff and break the photo or the design down to its purest form. Hence, the essence of the subject tells its own story. Your design doesn't need random stuff unless it is about random stuff.

This could include simple backdrops, zooming in on your subject, changing the camera location sideways or up and down, changing the lighting, or editing the design to let the subject do the talking.

Photo by Ruth H Curtis on Unsplash

Additionally, I came across this video by the Paint Coach - Chris Fornataro - its very good on how and why he composed the painting the way he did.

The Truth About Painting Landscapes From Photos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oJUjiNtlK0

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Monday, July 11, 2022

Post 184: Composition 18. For Depth and Dimension Use Layering

Composition: For Depth and Dimension Use Layering

This is Part 18 of my series on Composition

Try adding layering to your artwork and photography. Composition with layering is stacking 3 or more elemental layers to your design that adds depth, dimension, a sense of space. These layers include whatever is closest to you in the foreground, a distinct middle ground and finally a background.

Foreground

The details, textures, and colors used in the foreground can include objects and/or people. It could be including the beach sand and footprints in the design of an ocean scene. The foreground could be seeing details of rocks and/or flowers before going into the middle ground.

Middle Ground

Whatever is between the foreground and background can be just as interesting as the foreground and can include the actual object or person that is the subject.

Background

The background may or may not be out of focus and is obviously whatever is the furthest away from you. The background may be the sky and the farthest mountain line in the distance. A layer of fog behind the foreground detail and mid-ground subject may emphasize the design and give that depth needed.

Photo by Robin Melliger on Unsplash

I spot about 4 layers in this photo above, how many do you see?

Photo by Patrick Bald on Unsplash

A dark wooded foreground leads into several layers of blues in the mountains then to the orangey sky in this photo. The sense of space is fully felt in both of these photographs. Although simplicity in design is typically a very great way to capture and show you subject, looking for a way to layer the design can make for an impressive photo or art piece as well.

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Monday, July 4, 2022

Post 183: Composition 17. Framing Draws the Eye

Composition: Framing Draws the Eye

This is Part 9 of my series on Composition

Have you tried a "frame within a frame" in your artwork? Composing your photo or artwork may include an element appearing to be sitting inside another element. Framing draws attention and leads to your main subject, adding depth. It draws the eye in, makes the viewer study the picture/painting longer, adds a lot of interest. Give it a try!

Photo by Matteo Di Iorio on Unsplash

Photo by Omar Ram on Unsplash

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Monday, June 27, 2022

Post 181: Composition 16. Use Negative Space Around Objects

Composition: Use Negative Space Around Objects

This is Part 16 of my series on Composition

How do you use the area around your subject? Do you fill the whole canvas, the whole photo, the entire piece of paper up with 'stuff'? You don't have to. Sometimes it makes for a more impactful canvas, photo or paper when you leave stuff off.

Positive Space

Positive space is the subject matter of the painting, drawing or photograph. Positive space, also referred to as the active or activated space, is what the artist wants you to notice first. It is usually what the artwork is about, but how the artist frames that subject can be the negative space.

Negative Space

Also called "white space", negative space doesn't have to be the color white in an art piece. It is the 'blank area', in the photo or painting that can truly make the subject pop out because of the contrast, the simpleness of the area around the active space. With good use of negative space, the artwork may look too busy or be overwhelming to the viewer.

Photo by History in HD on Unsplash

Quite literally, negative space

Negative space can add the feeling of vastness, emptiness, stillness or even loneliness as in this picture below.

Photo by Majestic Lukas on Unsplash

Less is more quite often in artwork. There is less distraction, there can be better balance and when done very well, make your artwork much more impactful.

For further reading:

What is Negative Space - Definition, Examples in Art & Film by Kyle Deguzman

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Monday, June 20, 2022

Post 177: Composition 15. The Highs and Lows of Your Perspective

Composition 15. The Highs and Lows of Your Perspective

This is Part 15 of my series on Composition

When parents are anticipating their toddlers starting to toddle (taking their first steps) they often start child-proofing their homes for the safety of their children. Often, they will get on the floor to foresee what that child might find fascinating at their eye level. So the adult changes their perspective to the low angle.

Changing your perspective in creating art or photography can make the angles more interesting if you changeup the angle from the usual eye level and go low or go high. And a different feeling can be created from just changing the perspective - your eye level.

Capture a person from a low spot can make them seem more powerful, bigger, larger than life.

Photo by Michael Kucharski on Unsplash

Photo by Gary Fultz on Unsplash

A couple of photos from a lower level. How often do you look up at a goat or see the underside of the leaves covered in snow?

Photo by Cristofer Maximilian on Unsplash

This could a drone shot, an aerial view which is not our normal eye level perspective.

Try getting your shot or your design from a different perspective to make it "not the normal" image.

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Monday, June 13, 2022

Post 173: Composition 14. Go Into the Light, Attracting Attention

Composition: Go Into the Light, Attracting Attention

This is Part 14 of my series on Composition

The use of light and shadow is operating procedure in nearly all artwork isn't it? Gosh, that reminded me of a song I hadn't thought about for years - 'Me and My Shadow'...Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr...anyway, I digress.

If you have light, there is a shadow. It's how you use both in photos and art that can make the piece go from ho-hum to spectacular. Our eyes are drawn to the light - very naturally. The use of the contrast of the two in so many ways can add and make the drama stronger.

The time of day is an important part of the composition as well as the season of the year which affects the type or cast of light, the angles, the sharpness, the tonal contrasts and the differences between the midday, the morning sunrise and the evening sunsets.

Artificial and/or natural light use can be made even more interesting when they are combined.

Always be aware of the position of the light source is. Your subject and your subject's shadow must follow through when you want something to look realistic.

Playing with the contrasts that can occur with light and shadow can make artwork really pop when you make the contrast the focal point.

Photo by Justin Luebke on Unsplash

Photo by Darren Richardson on Unsplash

Photo by mirna rivalta on Unsplash

"How to Build Better Composition by Using Light" Stefen Baumann

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Monday, June 6, 2022

Post 170: Composition 13. Aesthetically Pleasing? Straighten Your Lines!

Composition: Aesthetically Pleasing? Straighten Your Lines!

This is Part 13 of my series on Composition

Ever look at a painting or a photo and the water on the horizon is crooked? Doesn't it feel like the water should be dripping off the image? What should be straight, be straight about it. Use your level, a ruler, or for goodness sake painter's tape.

Photo by Ruth H Curtis on Unsplash

See the difference in the photos? Its very slight but the top one the horizon isn't quite horizontally straight.

Be careful with architectural images and especially multiple lines, where you might select on as the main focus as in a building with columns. Straighten one line at least, or its painfully obvious the perspective is off.

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Monday, May 30, 2022

Post 167: Composition 12. Find the Best Orientation

Composition: Find the Best Orientation

This is Part 12 of my series on Composition

Find the best orientation to design your artwork.

When you use a printer or take a photograph, you decide between portrait and landscape. When framing your artwork, portraits usually hang vertically and landscapes usually hang horizontally. But there is more to the decision than that.

In photography, finding the best orientation is a bit simpler decision than on canvas as your options do not necessarily have to be made right there. You can easily take shots of your subject by holding the camera horizontally and then taking the photo again, vertically. Then figure out your best shot(s) later.

Portrait

Portraits are most often taken with the camera held vertically, or there are a good many vertical elements in the shot that are best captured to see the height, vertically.

Photo by Damon Lam on Unsplash

This photograph just wouldn't be right if it was horizontal, correct?

Landscape

Holding the camera for that landscape image is typically with the camera being held horizontally. There are usually a lot of horizontal elements in your subject like mountains.

Photo by Majestic Lukas on Unsplash

I don't think this photograph would have the same feeling to it at all if it was vertical. The emotion of it would be lost. What do you think?

Panorama

Panorama can be horizontal or vertical, just find what will work best, or more interesting for your subject.

Aspect Ratio

Aspect Ratio is defined as, "An aspect ratio is the dimensions of an image expressed in a ratio form. You determine the aspect ratio by comparing an image’s width and height, then writing it as a width:height ratio (such as 3:2 or 4:5)." - Digital Photography School

In even simpler terms, the aspect ratio is the size of the image taken by the camera.

A good read on Aspect Ratio is from Mary Ahern Artist Blog.

Another great read is Shutterstock - A Guide to Common Aspect Ratios...

When finding the best orientation and aspect ratio for your image, print, or artwork, you will determine how the subject(s) or the scene will be captured on the it. It is the decision to figure out what size of canvas and will it be horizontal or vertical to best display.

Check out this very good read about Portrait vs Landscape Orientation and Your Emotions: Choose the Right Composition for Your Photo by Amaury Descours

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Monday, May 23, 2022

Post 163: Composition 11. Depth of Field

Composition: Depth of Field

This is Part 11 of my series on Composition

Depth of field is described as the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that give an image judged to be in focus in a camera or that appears acceptably sharp. In other words, how much of the image will be in focus.

Shallow Depth of Field

Usually the subject is the only thing in focus, is sharp, while the background is blurred, or not in focus at all.

Deep Depth of Field

The image is pretty much in focus from the foreground to the background.

Although this may seem to point solely at photographers and the photos they take, it is also part of composition on how you might set up your design for a painting as well. To better understand the depth of field, this video will help.

Photo by Dmitry Nor on Unsplash - quite literally, depth of field

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Monday, May 16, 2022

Post 160: Composition 10. Element Relationships and Complements

Composition: Element Relationships and Complements

This is Part 10 of my series on Composition

There are complementary design elements as well as there are complementary colors.

With complementary colors, we know that they are opposite of each other on the color wheel. Artists can enhance a design making great color decisions with the use of these opposites - on purpose color clashing. Elements can be made to seen brighter if opposite colors are positioned next to each other.

The elements in the design can have interesting relationships in many ways; colors can clash, there can be size discrepancies, and there can be a feeling of tension. Other elements may add humor or a deeper meaning - which is a way to get people to stop and study the art to try to figure out what or why the artist did what they did in the piece - which is always good, right?

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Art Fundamentals: Color Theory

Go forth and color clash!

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Monday, May 9, 2022

Post 156: Composition 9. Movement Flow from Left to Right

Composition: Place Movement Flow from Left to Right

This is Part 9 of my series on Composition

This one sort of throws me because as a speaking English person here in the USA, we read text from left to right. But there are other languages that do not read that way. So my question would be would this "rule" apply to them?

The rule says to compose your photo from left to right similar to the way we read our text and to even flip your image if needed, as long as there isn't any text printed on it. This is especially suggested for action and wildlife images. And you should leave some blank space to the right of the action so that there is room for the person, animal, whatever has room to move into and doesn't fall off the edge.

Photo by Mieke Campbell on Unsplash

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Monday, May 2, 2022

Post 151: Composition 8. Golden Rule Placement of Your Main Subject

Composition: Golden Rule Placement of Your Main Subject

This is Part 8 of my series on Composition

According to the National Geographic Society, the Golden Ratio "is a unique mathematical relationship. Two numbers are in the golden ratio if the ratio of the sum of the numbers (a b) divided by the larger number (a) is equal to the ratio of the larger number divided by the smaller number (a/b). The golden ratio is about 1.618, and represented by the Greek letter phi."

- National Geographic.org

Ok. There is that. Looks like algebra to me. So what does it mean? Read the whole page on the link above to get a bit of understanding (?) and good luck...

The basics of it is that it is a naturally occurring and aesthetically pleasing to the eye way to configure the most balanced composition of order to your design. It is sort of a variation on the Rule of Thirds, using spacing, and blank spacing using the ratio. The thought in practice example is the spirals of a seashell spiraling out.

Some variations on the theme are:

Golden Rule
Golden Spiral
Golden Mean
Golden Triangle
Golden Rectangle
Golden Ratio

Painters, photographers and designers have been using this composition rule for years, knowingly and unknowingly. Our eyes are just tickled silly when we see it.

Photo by SARAH GRANGER on Unsplash

Photo by Ludde Lorentz on Unsplash

Photo by Laura Gilchrist on Unsplash

Do you use this technique in your work or will you start now?

More suggested reading on Art Ignition about the Golden Ratio.

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Pages

Monday, August 1, 2022

Composition: Look at Your Edges for Distractions

Monday, July 25, 2022

Composition: Avoid Mergers

Color, Tone and Border Mergers

Monday, July 18, 2022

Composition: To Capture Subject Essence, Simplify

The Truth About Painting Landscapes From Photos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oJUjiNtlK0

Monday, July 11, 2022

Composition: For Depth and Dimension Use Layering

Foreground

Middle Ground

Background

Monday, July 4, 2022

Composition: Framing Draws the Eye

Monday, June 27, 2022

Composition: Use Negative Space Around Objects

Positive Space

Negative Space

Monday, June 20, 2022

Composition 15. The Highs and Lows of Your Perspective

Monday, June 13, 2022

Composition: Go Into the Light, Attracting Attention

Monday, June 6, 2022

Composition: Aesthetically Pleasing? Straighten Your Lines!

Monday, May 30, 2022

Composition: Find the Best Orientation

Portrait

Portraits are most often taken with the camera held vertically, or there are a good many vertical elements in the shot that are best captured to see the height, vertically.

Photo by Damon Lam on Unsplash

This photograph just wouldn't be right if it was horizontal, correct?

Landscape

Panorama

Aspect Ratio

Monday, May 23, 2022

Composition: Depth of Field

Shallow Depth of Field

Deep Depth of Field

Monday, May 16, 2022

Composition: Element Relationships and Complements

Monday, May 9, 2022

Composition: Place Movement Flow from Left to Right

Monday, May 2, 2022

Composition: Golden Rule Placement of Your Main Subject

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