Final Composition Contact Sheet

Photographic Composition

Composition Shooting Assignment

Camera used: Nikon D3100

Camera Used: iPhone 5c

Elements and Principles of Photography

Horizon Line
Definition: Expanding the foreground to help extend the range of background and get the "horizon"
Explanation: Horizon line is ones eye level picture, by drawing one line perpendicular to the ground.

Horizontal Lines
Definition: Horizontal Line goes straight across, they also give a sense of calm and relaxed.
Explanation: Horizontal Lines go across a surface in a straight line, whether high above or down below.

Proportion/scale
Definition: Proportion is the relative size and scale is the size of elements of what they are being compared to.
Explanation: Proportion is achieved by choosing an angle or view that is dramatic, extreme, or unexpected. 

Symmetrical Balance
Definition: When one or more identical or similar subjects are repeated are symmetrical on each side of a given point.
Explanation: Symmetrical balance is often recognized by subjects that are in uniform in shape.

Diagonal Lines
Definition: Diagonal lines work in the way of drawing a persons eyes through the photograph.
Explanation: Diagonal lines are often used to achieve a strong impression of movement and create a tremendous sense of depth.

Curved Lines
Definition: Curved lines add beauty and grace to a photo, and used as a popular design for leading the eye into the frame.
Explanation: Curved Lines allow the eye to explore an image in a smooth, free-flowing manner. 

Leading Lines
Definition: Leading lines in a image lead the eye to another point in the image, or sometimes out of the image.
Explanation: Leading lines are an easy way for the eye to follow through different elements of a photo.

Unity
Defintion: Unity is all elements of a piece combine to make a balanced, harmonious,  complete whole.
Explanation: Taking parts of a picture and combining them together to unify them as a better whole.

Variety
Definition: A way of combining elements in involved ways to achieve intricate and complex relationships.
Explanation: Variety is achieved by the use of diversity and using different hues, texture, and shapes.

Asymmetrical Balance
Definition: When one or more dissimilar elements are balancing on each side of a given point.
Explanation: If you have 1 large image it should be counterbalanced by a smaller object.

Birds Eye View
Definition: Birds eye view is an elevated view of an object from above looking down.
Explanation: Views are distinguished from direct observation at high locations.

Vertical Lines
Definition: Most powerful lines in visual art, they come with a feeling of strength, height, and integrity.
Explanation: Scanning with our eyes from left to right horizontally, vertical lines are good at complimenting them.

Emphasis
Definition: Emphasis is the area of a photo of which first catches the attention from the eye.
Explanation: Focusing on one point of a picture and blurring out the rest gives great emphasis and draws attention.

Movement/Rhythm
Definition: A movement of which elements reoccur regularly, and the path of which the viewers eye takes from the photo.
Explanation: Movement and rhythm adds excitement to a photo, and directs the viewers eye through the picture.

Repetition/Pattern
Definition: Repetition and pattern give an impression of largeness and appealing.
Explanation: Filling the farm while capturing repetition and pattern is a good way to make the photo appealing.

Worm's eye view
Definition: Viewing an object from the ground as though the observer were a worm.
Explanation: Worms eye view is usually used commonly for third perspective.

Rule of Thirds
Definition: Placing points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that you photo becomes more balanced.
Explanation: With the rule of thirds imagine breaking an image down into thirds so that you have 9 parts.

Framing
Definition: Drawing attention to the subject of your image by blocking other parts of the image with something in the scene.
Explanation: Framing brings more depth to a picture and a better focus on what the main subject is in the picture.

Simplicity
Definition: Keeping things simple in a photo is a good way to bring peace and comfort into a photo.
Explanation: Look for uncomplicated background and don't keep focus on objects that are out of the picture that will draw attention away from the main subject.

Texture
Definition: Texture helps emphasis the features and details in a photo.
Explanation: Texture can be used to give realism and character to a picture and may be even be the subject in the picture.

Camera Basic Quiz A

 

 

Small Depth of Field
ISO: 400
Aperture/F-stop: 8
Shutter Speed: 1/3
White Balance: Custom White

 

Freeze Motion
ISO: 3200
Aperture/F-stop: 4.5
Shutter Speed: 1/30
White Balance:
Custom White

Void of Grain
ISO: 800
Aperture/F-stop: 5.3
Shutter Speed: 1/25
White Balance: Custom White

Blurred Motion Selfie
ISO: 1600
Aperture/F-stop: 9
Shutter Speed: 1/8
White Balance: Custom White

                                                         

 

Achieving each Scenario: I shot the first photo by setting up my tripod so I would have a nice still shot, I then zoomed in to have a nice, small depth of field and then focused in on the subject and did by best to blur out the background. For the second picture I asked my mom to move her leg back and forth while I then set up the camera for the correct shutter speed to capture the movement of the leg and freeze it. The third picture I used my dog Chewy who is 13 years old and made him stand still and set my ISO to a lower one so it would be grain free and used the correct light meter since it was darker in my kitchen to properly light up the picture. Lastly for my final picture I set my camera on my tripod again and set my timer for my camera to 10 seconds and zoomed in on my to get the background out of the picture and spun in circles to get a blurred motion selfie.

Summary on Camera Knowledge: So far what I have learned in photography class is how to properly set up ISO to the lighting and get the proper shutter speed to either a fast moving subject or a slow moving subject, also how to measure aperture for the correct lighting as well. Aperture and ISO were pretty simply for me to grasps but Shutter speed seemed to take a good while for me to understand, but once I practiced and kept using it, I finally understood how to set it up in the right way to freeze a moving subject and have little to no blur. I've learned that ISO is sensitivity to light and how to properly expose a photo (the less light in the camera the more grainy a picture will be and the more light in the camera the void of grain will be). Shutter Speed is the amount of time the shutter is open to take a picture in either a dark or a light setting (the slower the shutter speed the blurrier the picture and the faster the shutter speed a more clear picture). Aperture is the size of the opening of the lens that permits light to the digital sensor. (the lower the aperture/f-stop the less light is let in and the higher the aperture/f-stop the more light is let in). White Balance also helps you get the colors in the image as accurate as your eyes see it. (different sources of light, produces different colors)

Compositional Match Game

Asymmetrical Balance

Bird’s Eye View

Curved Lines

Diagonal Lines

Emphasis

Framing

Horizon Line

Horizontal Lines

Leading Lines

Movement/Rhythm

Pattern/Repetition

Proportion/Scale

Rule of Thirds

Simplicity

Symmetrical Balance

Texture

Unity

Variety

Vertical Lines

Worm’s Eye View

Image	E/P of Design	Rational
	Framing	Directs viewer's attention to what is important using objects or elements existing in the scene
	Pattern/Repetition	The repeated consistency of an element in a work
	Birds eye view	View from above looking down
	Rule of Thirds	Compositional rule of thumb where the whole image is divided into 9 equal parts; compositional elements should be placed along these lines or intersections.
	Symmetrical Bal.
	Vertical Lines	Lines that run north to south (grandness and spirituality)
	Unity	All elements of a piece of work together to produce a balanced, harmonious, complete whole.
	Asymmetrical Balance
	Leading lines	Lines that lead the eye to the other points of the image (or out of the image)
	Horizontal Lines	Lines that run east and west (rest, calmness, and tranquility)
	Diagonal Lines	Lines that run in a slanted direction (Movement and direction)
	Proportion/scale	The relative size of one object in relation to another
	Texture	The appearance and feel of a surface.
	Curved Lines	Lines that deviate from straightness in a smooth, continuous fashion. -comfort, safety, familiarity.
	Movement&Rhythm	Shows action and the path of the viewers eyes through the artwork
	Worms eye view	View from below looking up.
	Emphasis	Elements in the piece that are given dominance or attract attention.
	Variety	Differences in elements and principles of design that give interest to a composition
	Simplicity	Singling out an item(s) from their surroundings
	Horizon Line	Used to emphasize the sky or ground based on the placement of horizontal line where ground meets sky.

What is composition?

 *After the reading complete the following questions on a blog post:

 1.) What is composition?

Composition is the arrangements of visual elements within a frame of a photography. Paying attention is what composition mostly is. 

2.)Why is it important to understand & utilize composition in photography? 

It is important because then you can do more than just pointing the camera and taking a picture, composition in a photograph takes thought and meaning, and taking some ideas and creativity to set up the right picture.

      3.)Describe aspects of a “snapshot”.

       A snapshot is a photography of a memory of an event or person. (It doesn't matter if half their head is cut off or if they are making funny faces it only matters that you captured a memory.) Taking a snapshot is just pointing a camera and taking the picture.

      4.)Describe aspects of a “photograph”.

      A photography is something artistic that had thought put into it for an event or person or object. It shouldn't just show what it is but what it is actually like. A photograph should have an impact and special meaning. A photograph requires attention to every detail and and getting them all right the way you want them and then clicking the shutter. 

      

      5.)“Photography is the art of Discovery”

      

      6.)Describe what interests you the most about this art form or what drew you to this form of communication.

      Composition interest me most, by saying that a photo requires thought and that it needs meaning to it, it really made me draw a better perspective on what taking a picture really means and what comes out of it.