It's been about a year and a half since we started our photography business. We've met a lot of cool people and taken some great photos along the way.
There's still a lot I have to learn. I want to speak to you guys today about something that I've touched on in previous posts, I want to dedicate this entry just to that. I'm talking about composition.
Here's a scenario for you that I'm in almost every single time I'm at a shoot. You have your subject in front of you. There are a number of things you must take into consideration before you snap that photo. Aside from your settings, the composition of your photo must be as spot on as you can get it in the time you have to take the still. By composition, I mean the way you frame your subject. If your settings are off you can probably fix them in post production, but if your composition is bad you may not be able to save the photo. So here are a few things to think about when taking a photo.
1. How you want to frame your subject: How do you want this picture to look? Will your subject be on one side of the photo or will they be centered? Where you place your subject can have a huge impact on the vibe that your still is going to give off. You can break this down by dividing your frame into 3 different parts depending on the situation. CENTER, LEFT, & RIGHT. You can obviously take more creative approaches, but lets do it this way to keep it simple. Here is a few examples of these 3 areas in the frame
As you can see, each of the these areas in the frame is very important can be utilized to add a more creative touch to your photos. Each can be used in different scenarios depending on the look that you're trying to accomplish.
2. Will your client be printing these photos? This is something you need to keep in mind when framing your subject. Most cameras will take a photo at a certain resolution that will most certainly have to be changed when you are printing their photos. Therefore, you want to make sure that the crop won't mess up the photo in the end. This is a small point, but it's something that has gotten me in the past. You want to crop as little as possible though so try to get everything right when you're composing your subject which brings us to our next, and final, point.
3. Get it right in camera: When you're looking through the viewfinder make sure that you're subject is exactly where you want them to be. You must not only pay attention to your subject, but you also have to think about the surroundings as well. Make sure that everything is where it should be before you snap that photo. You don't want to end up having an off center photo that you have to crop so much that it ruins your picture. Put everything into perspective before you start shooting. What lens do you have? Is your focus point in the correct place? Are you following the guide lines in the viewfinder? All these questions will help you compose your subject better and get you the shot that you want to get.