If there is one thing I like about budding photographers, it's their fresh way of looking at stuff to photograph. In this analytical process of recognizing perspectives and compositions, beginners often ask important questions that seasoned photographers might find intrinsic. Questions like "How can this photo get more interesting?" or "What makes me keep looking at this picture?"
Eliason writes on his blog that Michael Freeman's book, titled Photographer's Eye, contains a great introduction to spotting and building compositions in your own photography. Eliason went on the web after finishing the book and put together a fine overview from photos found on Unsplash. His set of 30 photos shows how compositional elements can work together to create more pleasing images, no matter the genre you're most interested in. So go ahead and explore his selection and see if you can find one you haven't heard about before.
Chiaroscuro (Light and Shadow Contrast)
Try creating a strong contrast of light and dark, using light and shadow. Photo by Alex Ronsdorf.
Framing
Find a natural vignette that surrounds the primary subject in your photo. This helps to focus attention on what matters most in your image, but the material of the frame also says a lot about the subject itself. Photo by Tim Foster.
Figure in a Landscape
A person in a landscape suggests either the enormity of the surroundings or a feeling of connectedness from between person and landscape. Photo by Andy Kerr.
Photo by Andy Kerr.
Practicing composition can be done in many ways. You can try experimenting and exhausting every possible composition yourself, but it's a painstaking process. Why not look at the works of others, like Nat Eliason did? A lot more inspiration on Eliason's blog.
[via nateliason.com]
