The Natural Light Portrait Book

Chapter Six

Composition

Gettin’ It All in the Frame

To really understand portrait composition, it helps to actually break down the word “composition.” It’s com-po-si-tion, so we’ll start with “com,” which is from the Latin word caceus, which means “blind.” Next is “po,” which is short for “poor,” and if we stopped right there, we’d still be halfway to a great name for an old blues guitar player. Next is “si,” which of course is Spanish for “to drink tea with jam and bread,” and that brings us on to “tion,” which is derived from the Latin term talus, which means “ankle.” If you put these all together, the meaning is so crystal clear and so powerful. It’s the all-important basis for everything we do when composing our images, and if you don’t ...