Take a camera along when you travel - it's a great idea. Good scenic or vacation photographs are about what you see and how you see it. You could be delighted by the results.
Shooting What You See
Sometimes you might have taken a photo that looked good in real life but didn’t look so great on the computer. Check the length of the lens you used. Normally the human eye views a field about 40 degrees wide. A scene like a landscape or skyline is one way of testing yourself. Make an inventory of what can you see of the scene if you don't move your eyes. Analyze the same scene as it appears in the view-finder. Notice what is cut out or what is now included. By zooming the lens back to around 40 degrees you'll get the same framing as your eye. You can work this out by trial and error until you know what zoom setting will give you exactly what you see with your eye.
Composition
Composition is the art of ‘framing’ the photograph or arranging the elements so that it draws the viewer’s eye to what you want seen or noticed. Here are some basic rules of composition:
1. The Eye Scans Diagonally
The eye usually scans automatically from bottom right of a picture diagonally across to the top left. You'll see this easily if you flip a picture using the horizontal flip tool most photo editing programs offer. You’ll notice that different elements come to the fore according to how the picture is flipped. This is a useful rule and can be used, for instance, in portrait photography.
You should pose your model turned slightly away from the camera. Suggest that your subject loosely close his hands and put them on his thighs. Get him to look at you without moving his body. This is called a three-quarter pose. Have a look now at the image through the camera lens. Probably you'll notice that the hands first attract your eye, and they they guide it to the face of the subject. Once you've taken the shot and uploaded it, flip it with your photo-editing software using the horizontal flip function. Evaluate each version for the most efficient communication?
A simple exercise to appreciate this rule in action is to browse a good photography website. You will often notice the photographer uses this rule by placing some ‘guiding’ element in the bottom right hand corner – a shape, a color, a shoulder, or a line that points into the center of the image. The photographer who wants a jarring effect can break this rule deliberately.
2. Frame the Photograph
The edges of a photograph are like the fence around a house. The space is defined by them. Print and frame one of your favorite pictures and you'll get the idea. You'll probably find that now everything is more viewable. Apply this compositionally by placement of the subject so it is between trees, in a doorway, viewed through a window, etc. On the other hand, you can place the subject against a neutral background like an ocean scene or something featureless. The eye automatically moves to the subject without distraction.
Shooting so as to include the background adds to the mood or feel of the final image. Sometimes the background can be cluttered, or includes strong shapes that overwhelm the subject. Do your best to avoid these. Your visual story can be made more interesting by the inclusion of some background elements. Once you think you've framed the scene, ask yourself if it answers the following questions
This is what location?
Who is the subject?
What reason do they have for being there?
What action are they involved in?
The Rule of Thirds
This rule divides the image into thirds horizontally and/or vertically. The subject of the scene should appear in the middle zone. Alternatively, arranged to occupy the points where the grids intersect. Landscapes generally use this rule by having the sky in the top zone and the subject in the middle zone. The remaining third serves as a foreground and foundation.
In portrait photography, most portraits are composed vertically and include at least the upper torso. Consider the frame divided into vertical thirds and the face where the two top thirds meet. Doing this allows space over the head and provides a more pleasing effect. This also balances the space on both sides of the subject.
Sometimes extreme close-ups work well and create a feeling of intensity.
Practise makes perfect. Take lots and lots of shots and study the good ones - and the bad ones. You’ll quickly learn the basics of this rewarding hobby.
