Now I know no one likes being constrained or told to follow a set of instructions but thinking about it on a lighter note, I think rules are meant to guide us and maybe not necessarily clip our wings or stop us from flying as most people see them. As photographers, there are certain rules or guidelines that we follow in order to produce pleasing images that appeal to the subconscious mind of a human. I understand fully well that rules are meant to be broken because come on guys, this is supposed to be art and we all know what pleases me may not appeal to you . But after all is said and done, there are still some general guidelines or set of rules that lots of photographers work around in order to produce images that are pleasing to the general public. I would be continuing my series on understanding photography by sharing some of these rules with everyone today.
USING FRAMES
To frame simply means 'to support' . Looking around us, we can see a lot of natural frames in our everyday environment. We can frame with buildings, trees, roads and even with people. Framing simply helps to draw the eyes of the viewer to the subject. Seeing as there can be a lot of distracting and disturbing elements in a photograph, using frames can be a very way of making the picture look just less distracting and definitely more pleasing .
Notice how the set of trees create a natural frame for the man in the background.
THE ART OF CROPPING
Sometimes we may take a photograph and it doesn't feel like it's passing the right message. Most times it may simply be that the main subject of the picture is just too small. Cropping into a picture can really bring out what is needed from a picture. Now I am well aware that a lot of phone shooters may not be able to retain the same sharpness, clarity and resolution when images are cropped in but when it is possible, Cropping really helps to give the subject the attention it deserves.
RULE OF THIRDS
The rule of thirds is one of the most known rules of professional photography. You may have seen some pictures online and may have wondered what was special about the picture. It was a normal picture quite alright but something about it was different. This may be the rule of thirds at work. Let me explain.
In most phone cameras or dslrs, there is the option of grid lines . These are meant to help the photographer accurately compose the shot. The rule of thirds involves placing the subject on the intersection of the first sets of lines.The subject seems to occupy about third of the frame or a major attraction in the subject seems to lie on a third of the entire frame. This just seems to make a picture generally pleasing to the eye.
LEADING LINES
Using leading lines as it name suggests involves making use of unconscious lines to draw the attention of an observer towards the subject. This can involve using a road, a window or anything that achieves that pleasing effect.
REPETITIONS,SYMMETRY AND PATTERNS
Now I'm pretty sure that this is self explanatory. We are drawn to repetitions and patterns of all sorts. SYMMETRY as the name implies simply means the ability to have two equal halves when an object is divided. Take a face for example, we have the exact same body parts on the left and on the right. Except of course our hairstyles sometimes.Lol!!
DEPTH
Using the foreground and background to compose a picture can balance a picture to a very large extent. Placing elements in the background of a picture can help to greatly balance and create a really nice feel. It is essential to frame both foreground and background elements accurately so as to get the required results from the picture.
PERSPECTIVE
Most artists know that what appeals to one person may not appeal to the other. So why not shoot differently?? The way we see a scene differs from person to person. We may be in the same spot but feel and perceive a scene differently. Shooting from below or above a subject usually helps to create a different feel to your pictures. For example, a short person may appear tall because a picture was taken from below.
THE ULTIMATE RULE
The most important thing out of all the above is to experiment. Rules are meant to be broken. It is important to be flexible around all of these to grow and improve. If these do not work for you as a photographer, do what works!! Art is relative. There is no sure way to achieve art greatness.
There are a lot of other rules out there but I feel these would be really helpful. Free free to add yours in the comment section.
It's definitely up to you to be creative. Keep shooting and keep improving!!!.
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