Photography has become a very popular form of art it the world we live in today. Perfection is everything when it comes to photography and this makes digital photography composition a very critical aspect of photography.
Digital photography composition is simply the art of arranging the basic elements of a photograph which are the subject, supporting elements, the background, and even the foreground before taking a photo to make the final image more appealing.
To master digital photography composition, one needs to have an understanding of how the camera works. There are also various rules in photography that guide one on how to go about taking photos and important aspects such as depth of field which the photographer must always put into consideration. In addition, good eyesight and using the right lens greatly increases your chances of snapping an eye-catching photograph.
Rules that govern the digital photographic composition
1.Break your frame into thirds
This should be done both vertically and horizontally. Elements that fall on the intersection of the lines form a critical part of the photo. As a photographer, it is important to ensure that key elements which you want to appear in these areas.
2.The use of lines
Take advantage of scenes with strong linear elements and use them to direct a viewer’s attention to specific areas of your photo.
3.Ensure the elements in your frame are relevant
A photo frame forms the body of a photo as viewers will mostly focus on what is inside the frame. Having distracting elements in your frame will not only divert the viewer’s attention but also alter the message you intend to pass across.
4. Have a focal point
When taking the photo always focus on the most important element and make it the subject. This will focus the viewer’s attention to parts of your photo that matter and carry the intended message you wish to pass across.
5. Have a relevant background
Your choice of a background should always support the subject matter and generally the message you wish to pass across. Irrelevant items in the background of a picture can greatly divert the viewer’s attention from the things that matter. Mergers should be avoided as distracting shapes in the background as they alter the appearance of the subject matter making it appear distorted.
6. Have a frame for your subject
When it comes to the frame, the arrangement of various elements becomes very important. Ideally, foreground elements should be placed at the edge of your frame. This creates a form of compositional illusion of frames that assist in focusing most of the viewer’s attention on the subject matter.
Important aspects of digital photographic composition
The Depth of field
His refers basically to the area of your scene that will be in sharp focus. To enhance your focal point, one needs to have a shallower depth of field. If one has a wide depth of field, it adds more detail to the photo by capturing more elements in the scene. Based on the camera design, depth of field is controlled by two important elements, the aperture, and the magnification.
The aperture regulates the amount of light that enters the lens from the environment at any given time. Increases the aperture size makes the depth of field shallower and vice versa. Magnification, on the other hand, dictates the depth of the field. The choice of the lens to use determines how much magnification of the object one is going to get. Wide angle lenses offer no magnification at all but instead provide greater depth of field. In general, the longer a lens is by design, the shallower the depth of field one will get when taking a photo.
Perspective
To achieve the perfect digital photographic composition, one needs to be at the right distance and angle from the subject in the photo. With the right perspective, photos appear clear in detail, attractive and pass the relevant message to the viewer. To enhance the perspective, it is always important to:
1. Avoid angles that alter the appearance of the various elements you wish to capture.
2. Incorporate the use of higher angles to increase the overall depth of field in the final image.
3. Always zoom or try to get closer to the object you wish to photograph so as to get more detail.
The choice of the lens
Lenses are classified into 2 broad categories. This is fixed and normal lenses. Normal lenses are ideal for capturing scenes when images are at a close distance to the human eye. On the other hand, zoom lenses can capture images of objects that at a longer distance away or even focus on a specific aspect of an object.
Benefits of digital photography composition
By observing digital photography composition, the whole idea of taking a photo changes completely. As a photographer, your focus will purely be on the most important aspects of the photo. You will know exactly where to focus your lens and what you need to ignore. Perspective will enhance the view you get making the final photo quite stunning.
The photo will have the right detail, fit in your frame properly and pass the message. Snapping photos will no longer entail just the clicking of a button. Digital photography composition revolutionizes the whole idea of taking photos into a well calculated and researched process to ensure you get a perfect photo.
Conclusion
Even with the right knowledge, one needs to have the right set of equipment to make any photo taking session a success. As a photographer, invest in the right set of lenses and a good camera that has the latest technological features. For beginners, enrolling in a photography school can help you understand the various aspects of photography and enhance your digital photography composition skills.
The internet is also a reliable place to get information to aid in the understanding of digital photography. Practice makes perfect and in digital photography and one needs to continuously take photos and review them so as to fine-tune their skills over time.