PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION TIPS

TIP NUMBER 5 - FRAMING

To improve your photographs you can use objects which make perfect natural frames such us trees, rocks, archways and holes.

The result of the use of frames in composition is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest.

In the following picture the surrounding archway provides a focal point on the ruins.

Windows can be a perfect frame too. For example look at the following picture.

Trees are great frames too.

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION TIPS

TIP NUMBER 4 - RULE OF ODDS

The rule of odds says that odd numbers are better than even ones in photography, especially in groups of three. Five, seven or more can be great too, but you run the risk of clutter.

The main explanation of the rule of odds is that the human eye tends to pair up things in a composition. So, if you have for example an image with four elements in it, the eye tends to separate them in groups of two creating a divided image. Meanwhile if there are an odd number of elements in the image, the eye can not pair up them and this produces a constant movement of the eye through the image, creating a more dynamic picture.

For example look at the following pictures:

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION TIPS

TIP NUMBER 3 - LAW OF GLANCE

According to the law of glance the person, thing or animal you are photographing must have more free space in the front part than in the back.

The main purpose of this law is to give perspective to the scene, and it is used mainly for profile portraits.

For example, look at the following photographs, one of this follow the law of glance meanwhile the other don't do it.



Picture #2 - Correct



Picture #1 - Incorrect



In picture number 1, the back part is bigger than the front part taking out perspective to the glance. However, in picture number 2 the space in front of the glance creates perspective to the image.

This law can be used in other cases like in the following pictures.

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION TIPS

TIP NUMBER 2 - THE RULE OF THIRDS

According to the rule of thirds, you have to divide your screen into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines. The rule of thirds says that you should position the most important elements in your picture along these lines, or at the points where it intersects.

The main explanation of this rule is that the human eye's attention naturally goes to these points when it is watching something on a screen. For this reason, if you want to catch the attention of one particular element in your scene, you must position it according to the rule of thirds.

Nowadays, some digital cameras and mobiles phones have the option of superimpose a rule of thirds grid over the screen, to make even easy to use it.

Here there are some examples:

Picture #1 - Rule of thirds

In this picture the tree is along one of the lines of the rule of thirds grid to emphasize the snow scene.

Picture #2 - Rule of thirds

You can use the rule of thirds even in portraits or close up photos (Picture #2).

Picture #3 - Rule of thirds

The rule of thirds can be used for familiar photos or holidays pictures like in Picture #3.

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION TIPS

INTRODUCTION

It may sound weird, but there are not strict composition rules in photography, but there are a number of established composition tips which can be applied in almost any situation, to increase the impact of a scene.

These tips will help you take better photographs, giving them a natural balance, drawing attention to the important parts of the scene, or leading the viewer's eye through the image.

Once you are familiar with these composition tips, you will be surprised at just how universal are them. You will watch them in lots of photos everywhere, and you will find it easy to see why some photos are fantastic while others feel like simple snapshots.

TIP NUMBER 1 - HORIZON RULE

The horizon rule says you have to imagine that your screen (horizontally or vertically) is divided into three panels of the same size. After this, you must put your object of interest into two of the panels and leave the third for the less important part of the picture.

Here there are some examples:

Picture #1 - Horizon rule

Picture #2 - Horizon rule

In the picture number 1, the main part (2/3) is occupied by the sky and the birds. However, in the picture number 2, the main part (2/3) is the ocean and the boat; the sky is less important.

Pay attention to this rule and your photographs will be fantastic!

A BRIEF HISTORY

This site is created to give you skills about how to improve your photographs, but a bit of history is always necessary. 

Use of obscure camera


The official beginning of the photography is around 1839 with the launched of the daguerrotype. Previously there was some investigations about sensitive substances like silver salts, an the obscure camera by Nicéphore Niepce but the images were not permanent. The obscure camera is an optical instrument that reflects an external image over a paper or a wall. It was useful as a guide to improve drawings.

The daguerrotype owes its name to Daguerre, who was one of the inventors of the photography. The daguerrotype was a surface of polished silver which improved the exposure time and solved some technical problems of the initial procedure of Niepce.

At the same time, Hércules Florence, Hippolythe Bayard and William Fox Talbot were working in others methods without knowing between them.  However, thanks to the support of the French government and the quickly use of it by French bourgeoisie, (due to the lesser cost respect to hand-made paintings of the time), the daguerrotype had a big impulse.

Another precursor method to take photographs was the calotype or talbotype. The calotype was created by William Fox Talbot and was based on a paper of silver nitrate and potassium iodide. This procedure created a negative image that could be positive in so many times. This was the main difference between the daguerrotype which produced a one-of-a-kind positive image that could not be replicated. Despite this flexibility, calotypes did not displace the daguerrotype.



Collodion process

 After 1855, appeared the collodion process and by the end of that decade it had almost entirely replaced the daguerrotype. The collodion process or wet plate negative was invented by Frederic Scott Archer. Using a viscose solution of collodion he coated glass, with light-sensitive silver salts. Collodion printings were done on albumen paper and it was a very inexpensive process.

The main disadvantage was in the field, because wet plates had to be developed quickly before the emulsion dried. The only possibility was to carry a portable darkroom.

After 1880, dry plate was invented and it was not necessary to carry a portable darkroom. A hand-held camera was now possible because dry processes absorbed light so quickly.

In 1888, George Eastman and Kodak invented a flexible film that could be rolled making real a mass-produced box camera. With the slogan "you press the button and we do the rest" Kodak created amateur photographers.

The beginnings of colour photographs were in the XIX century, with lots of imperfections. At first, the colours vanished from the photograph. The first colour photograph was taken by the physicist James Clark Maxwell in 1861 but the real colour photograph was know as Autochrome, patented in December 1903 by Lumière brothers. However it was not launched until 1907.

Autochrome was manufactured in France and they were glass-based slides. The biggest collection of autochrome is conserved at Albert-Kahn Museum in France.

The first colour film, called Kodachrome was used for the first time in 1935 and it was manufactured until 2009.

In 1913 was launched the first Leika camera and in 1936 the first SLR of 35 mm. Since then, the improvements of the lens and the cameras have been magnificent. Nowadays the shutter speed can be really fast and it is possible to take a photo in complete darkness. Moreover, it is possible to take images inside the human body and far away in the cyber space.