Bruce Weber Photographer Points Out the Key Rules of Composition in Photography

Bruce Weber Photographer Points Out the Key Rules of Composition in Photography

Composition in photography refers to is a method used by photographers to arrange diverse elements in a photograph. A well-composed photo would be balanced in an aesthetically pleasing manner. However, at times, it can be deliberately and artfully off balance as well. A number of professionals, including Bruce Weber Photographer, pay heed to the important rules of composition in photography during their shoots in order to capture the most compelling images.

There are six major rules of composition in photography, including:

  • Rule of Thirds:  As per this rule, the subject should be placed on the right-third or left-third of the frame, thereby creating an aesthetically pleasing composition. To apply this rule, the photographer needs to divide the image with two vertical and two horizontal lines, and then place the subject on one side for a balanced photo.
  • Portraits and direction of sight: In the case of portrait photography, having the subject right at the centre of the frame is extremely common.  Most photographers try to leave a little bit of room for the subject to be facing toward the center of the photo, unless they are looking straight at the camera in a portrait.  This approach is known as Direction of Sight and is a composition rule that feels pretty natural. However, if the subject is looking at the camera directly, then it will be better to center the subject in the frame left-to-right.
  • Leading Lines: These lines guide the eyes of the viewers through the frame. A variety of things can be used as a leading line in an image, starting from train tracks and paved roads to artfully-arranged flowers and telephone wires. These lines should have a clear starting point, typically somewhere near the bottom of the frame, and end at an aesthetically-pleasing center of the scene.
  • Depth of Field: Depth is when a photographer has something in the foreground and background. Shallow depth of field will bring the attention of the viewers immediately to whatever is in focus in the photo.
  • Negative Space: A large area of the photo mostly empty and is used to balance the image is known as negative space. The effect of this space can be striking or austere, but its key aim tends to be to draw the attention of the viewer to certain aspects of the photo.
  • Compression:  To add more drama to an image, one can create scenes that cannot actually be observed by the human eyes. This can be done through compression, for example, using a very long lens to make the background appear a lot closer than it actually is. The longer a lens is, the more compression would the photographer be able to achieve.

To understand how Bruce Weber Photographer and similar industry professionals make use of the composition rules mentioned above, one can always explore the web and check out the works of eminent photographers.

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