Film Rules: The Modern Film Photography Companion by Chris Meredith

Author:Chris Meredith [Meredith, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Gleaming Press
Published: 2019-01-13T00:00:00+00:00

Only include in the frame what helps tell the story.

The Rule of Thirds

There is a visual concept known as the “rule of thirds”; many successful compositions can be visually divided into three equal areas either vertically or horizontally, and lines or major points of interest are emphasized in these border areas. By imagining your frame divided into thirds both vertically and horizontally, the four cross points represent focus points within your image. Positioning a focus element near one of these points can make the image feel more dynamic than if your subject was centered.

Structuring an image by the rule of thirds tends to give it a sense of balance and proportion, though this is a rule of thumb not a hard-and-fast rule (those don’t exist in art) and many excellent images work without following this structure. However, it’s a helpful compositional technique that can be applied to many photographs.

Position relative to subject

Aside from the photographic tools already discussed, the main way to control the appearance of your subject within your photo is your distance to the subject. Simply getting closer to, or further from, your subject can have a dramatic effect on the appearance and size of your subject in the image and relative to the background.

In general, however, closer is usually better. Strive to simplify your compositions, and often getting closer allows you to include more of your subject and less surroundings you may not want.

Lens length

Lens length is an important tool in composition. Similar to your relative position to your subject, lens length determines how your subject looks relative to other elements. Using a long lens tends to flatten out your image, making it harder to tell the relative distance of near and far objects, whereas a wide lens tends to increase the appearance of distance between near and far objects. Very wide lenses can produce a “fish-eye” effect by capturing more of an arc than is possible with the human eye.

Tone - Light and Dark

Tone refers to differences in light and dark, as opposed to hue, which is the shades of color (if any). Tone is an essential aspect of composition, especially for B&W photographs. In the end, your image is a series of tones that define what is visible in the photograph, ranging from dark shadows to bright highlights. The distribution of tones within your image is the cornerstone of your composition.

As such, you can use tone to your advantage. It is said that interesting things happen at the edges, and this holds true in composition. It is often the contrast between light and dark areas that gives an image its resonance, like a well-lit person standing against a dark shadowed background, or the shady area beneath a tree with bright leaves above.

You should study the tones present in your subject, and use them to bring out the qualities you wish to capture in your image. If your subject is against a flat background that doesn’t accentuate their form, change your position so that your subject has a better background.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.