Nature Photography Photo Workshop

4.2. ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUES

When you design a photograph, whether by previsualizing or composing a picture on location, there are a few key points to remember. If you simply run through a mental checklist of these points you'll immediately start making better pictures. You need to deliberately use the frame, work effectively in two dimensions, and direct the eye through your creative choices.

4.2.1. USING THE FRAME

The most important aspect of the composition is the frame, a term that refers to the edges of the picture. Because you're using the four sides of the frame to isolate what you want to show and eliminate everything else, the frame is the first thing to pay attention to. By remaining aware of your selection process, you will learn to use the frame with great control.

Once a picture is made, the sides are rigid and inflexible. But the frame can be used with enormous power. Superimposing a rectangle on a tiny part of the world gives the contents of the frame importance. Depending on what's in the frame, the four straight sides of a picture can impose a strong effect on the composition or can be minimized so they don't draw attention.

When composing a picture on location (or cropping later on the computer), make sure to look all around the edges for distracting elements.

When arranging elements within the frame, you have two simple possibilities to consider: you can move ...