The BetterPhoto Guide to Creative Digital Photography by Jim Miotke

Author:Jim Miotke [Miotke, Jim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8174-2500-5
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2011-10-18T04:00:00+00:00

SUBJECT PLACEMENT

There’s an old back-and-forth exchange that goes something like this:

Question: Do you know how to sculpt a horse out of a block of wood?

Answer: You carve away anything that doesn’t look like a horse.

That may seem to be stretching things a bit in terms of photography, but it’s not, really. The idea is roughly the same: From a big scene, you identify the photographic “star” of your show and any supporting “characters,” and then you strip away anything that doesn’t belong or that detracts from your key subjects.

This is just the start of the process. Next comes the artistic positioning of your key subject. There are rules and guidelines to help you decide, but there are creative exceptions, too. (Note: Not every photo needs a single subject—such as abstracts—but most do.)

Many amateur shooters generally aim for the middle of the frame, creating a bull’s-eye composition that’s too often static and uninteresting. But photography isn’t archery or darts. Just because the main subject is the picture’s center of interest doesn’t mean it must occupy center stage. Most often, the more you move your subject from the middle of the frame, the stronger and more visually energetic the composition.

Ideally, subject placement should be a matter of trying assorted variations. Start making a conscious decision about what might be the best spot for your picture’s main focal point. This can be a big landscape with a distant tree or mountain as the primary subject, or it can be a close-up portrait with a small part of the face—such as the eyes—commanding top billing. Looking through the viewfinder, move back and forth, up and down, and then make your decision. More often than not, the option you pick is somewhere away from the middle of the image.

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