Composition consideration – the 4 dimensions
in Photography Techniques | 0 commentsIt can be useful to consider the 4 dimensions when considering a composition; 1) Right Vs Left Useful for considering the alignment of your foreground objects. If you consider the horizon-up as background, and the land leading to the horizon as the middleground, then it is this Left-right dimension which helps you position the foreground in an interesting and leading way. 2) Up Vs Down This is a useful dimension to consider although you may be limited by your tripod. A higher position opens the middle ground, where a lower position allows more intimacy with the foreground. 3) Backwards Vs...
Read MoreLandscape composition – the story of the 3 grounds
in Photography Techniques | 0 commentsThink of your composition as telling a story. 1) Background; this is normally the sky but not necessarily. It could be a sheer mountainside, glacier or other. 2) Middle ground; this would typically be the ground leading to the background, it could be a field, ocean, desert or any interesting terrain. 3) Foreground; this is the ground directly in front of you. It might be a rock, water feature, foliage or any other interesting feature. The middle ground is the main gist of the story, it tells the viewer what area you were in, it usually contains the most information in your shot although...
Read More3 is the magic number
Considerations for landscape composition. It is useful to divide your landscape scene into three as a guide to composing. This doesn’t have to be strict adherence to the rule of thirds, but is more elemental and conceptual. In other words, the rule of thirds refers to the placement of lines and objects in the scene, but this tutorial is more about composing a scene with 3 subject elements or 3 subject concepts. Three elements; rock, water and sky, the depth of the image brought about by simple composition shows the interaction of the 3 elements. The way the rock was...
Read MoreNight Photography 2 – overcoming the darkness
So you have the night photography bug. You sit twiddling your thumbs in the daylight hours waiting for the light to fade so that you can go out and leave your camera perfectly still with its shutter open for many tens of minutes. You are not...
Read MoreComposition – following and breaking the rules
The rules of composition are guidelines for producing a well designed image. ‘Guidelines’ are probably a better description than ‘rules’ as they just help us as a kind of starting point. Do not break the rules until you are an expert at following them. You need to understand how they work and how they help you create great compositions. Learn the rules and then break them only if it will create a better image than if you followed them. Rule of thirds Divide your frame into 9 equal parts and the lines and intersection become powerful places to place areas of...
Read More


