Dividing The Frame

Exercise: Balance

A selection of previously taken photographs and why I think they are either balanced or unbalanced.

Picture 1

 

Sketch 1

For Picture 1 I have selected a shot of a live band in action. The photograph was taken almost side-on to the stage. The bass player is the most prominent, and largest subject in the frame. He is placed almost centrally within the image and even though there are three other musicians in view, the fact that he does occupy a dominant central area gives the composition some balance.

Picture 2

Sketch 2

In picture 2 I am playing cards with myself. Everything in the frame is of similar dimensions. However, because of the vacant space to the right of the image this photograph is unbalanced.

Picture 3

Sketch 3

Picture 3 appears nicely balanced as there are lines of symmetry in the form of foliage, radiating around the central subject.

Picture 4

Sketch 4

 In picture 4, again the largest subject within the composition is closer to the centre of the image with the smaller object nearer the edge. This gives the picture good balance, aided by the fact that the face of the sphinx is looking into the rest of the frame.

Picture 5

Sketch 5

 Picture 5 also has good balance as, similarly to picture 3, we have lines of symmetry throughout the image radiating around the central window. The eyes are naturally drawn through the image.

Picture 6

Sketch 6

In picture 6 we have a coin and its reflection. The reflection is positioned fairly centrally but the coin itself is slightly offset to the left. This unbalances the image in my opinion, making the picture almost appear to lean to one side.

This exercise on balance has been a real eye opener. For many years I have liked certain pictures for their balanced composition but without really appreciating the elements involved in producing good balance. Certainly this is something I hope to take forward with me and apply to my future work.

Exercise: Positioning the horizon

While working on the exercise "Object in different positions in the frame" I decided to shoot the sequence for "Positioning the horizon" immediately afterwards. Firstly because the subject matter seemed to fit, and secondly because the weather and light were too nice not to take advantage of.

Photograph 1

In photograph 1 the horizon has been placed very close to the top of the image. At the time of shooting this scene I thought it looked a little odd. However, once processed it doesn't look quite so bad, despite the lack of obvious foreground interest. I think the curve of darker ground in the foreground probably demands just a little attention.

Photograph 2

In photograph 2 the horizon now occupies a spot approximately one third of a frame from the top. Although this corresponds to the "rule of thirds", the picture seems to lack the depth of photograph 1.

Photograph 3

The horizon has been placed centrally in photograph 3. The picture does seem fairly static, although having the fisherman set one third into the frame from the left does counteract this somewhat. Overall I think this is a fairly pleasing, well balanced image.

Photograph 4

The horizon now occupies a position one third from the bottom of the frame in photograph 4, again a classic "rule of thirds" composition. This places more emphasis on the sky, which unfortunately on this ocassion is completely featureless! Had there been an amount of cloud formation, this would have been a very pleasing picture. As it is it still isn't too bad.

Photograph 5

In photograph 5 I have positioned the horizon as close as I can to the bottom of the frame without cutting off the fishermans legs. Of the five photographs in this exercise this is the one I like the least. It lacks depth and the emphasis has been placed more on the sky than the man with the fishing rods.

Of all the pictures here I'd say that for me Photograph 4 just edges out Photograph 1. Photograph 1 was a bit of a surprise for me, I hadn't expected it to have demanded so much attention, particularly with what initially seems like a bare foreground. Closer inspection reveals that the foreground is more interesting than seen at first glance and certainly adds depth to the image. Definitely something to think about in the future. Photograph 4 just looks really well balanced. The horizon is a third of the way up and the fisherman is a third of the way in. It just needs a little more character in the sky.

Focal Lengths

Exercise: Focal lengths

Examining the differences various focal lengths can make to an image.

For this exercise I made my way to St James' Park in London on a rather dull overcast day.

Photograph 1 @ 17mm

In photograph 1, taken at a focal length of 17mm, a wide angle of view is seen, creating a pleasant albeit static image. Banks to both sides of the lake are clearly visible and there appear to be some features of interest in the distance.

Photograph 2 @ 35mm

Changing the focal length to 35mm in photograph 2 has taken the banks to the side of the lake completely out of view. The features that appeared distant in photograph 1 are now more prominent and appear much closer to the viewer.

Photograph 3 @ 50mm

The 50mm focal length used in phoograph 3 has the effect of bringing the background details much closer to the viewer. Suddenly the distant features of photograph 1 are now becoming the main subject of the composition. 

Photograph 4 @ 100mm

In photograph 4 the composition has been shifted slightly to make more of a feature of the building to the left of the original image. Using a longer focal length of 100mm has taken most of the original foreground out of view and the building that was previously a small segment of the first composition can now be seen in much more detail.

Photograph 5 @ 300mm

For photograph 5 I changed the composition again, whilst leaving the tripod in the same place. In this picture I have zoomed in on the London Eye and clearly visible inside the pods are the outlines of people. In the first 3 photographs it was not possible to determine these details. The longer focal length of 300mm has the effect of taking the viewer much deeper into the scene. In this picture the flagpole appears to be significantly closer to the wheel than it does in Photographs 1-3. This is an effect of the image being "compressed" by the use of a long focal length.


Exercise: Focal lengths and different viewpoints.


This was an exercise that I had a little trouble with. Finding an appropriate scene proved a little troublesome! Eventually, something as simple as a car park provided the solution.

Photograph 1 @ 170mm

 

Photograph 2 @ 17mm

Using the signpost as my foreground interest and the car as the background subject I captured photograph 1 at a focal length of 170mm. In this image the car and signpost appear to be perhaps a dozen or so paces away from each other. In two dimensional form the signpost is approximately twice the height of the car, although the sign itself is approximately 40% of the size of the background subject. In this picture the viewer is drawn into the scene somewhat, perhaps feeling that the car in the background is almost within touching distance.
I then changed my lens and walked forward a few yards, from where I took photograph 2 at a focal length of 17mm. The first difference which strikes me is that the shape of the sign has changed a little and it appears to taper off towards the right. The car is now clearly seen to be at least forty paces from the signpost, and viewed in this perspective it would be possible to fit it into the actual sign at least four times. The signpost now appears to be many times taller than the car. In this image there is much more a feeling of the viewer being a little isolated from the scene. The car appears to be a lot farther away than it actually is and the wider angle of view has added a sense of openness to the entire picture.

Looking through the viewfinder

Thinking a little more about composition.

Exercise: Fitting the frame to the subject.

I had a couple of tries at this exercise. My first subject matter didn't really say very much so I eventually took my camera up to the golf club where a player was kind enough to strike a pose or two for me.

Photograph 1

For photograph 1 I took a picture that I would have taken on any given day. Just a regular shot including the player and a little background to add a sense of depth.

Photograph 2

In photograph 2 I have moved in close and filled the frame with the subject matter. This has ensured that the subject completely dominates the frame and very little attention is paid to the surroundings.

Photograph 3

In photograph 3 I have closed right in and framed just the players grip on the golf club. This picture has now isolated a small part of the image and gives the viewer a close up view of an element of the image that may have been overlooked in the previous photographs.

Photograph 4

For photograph 4 I have taken a few paces back and made a composition that gives an idea of the environment in which golf is played. The viewer can see that there is a line of trees and bushes behind the golfer which seems to continue out of the frame. I've left an area of the frame vacant, giving the player some space to "hit into"

Panorama

Portrait

Detail

 

Square

 The four cropped versions of photograph 4 demonstrate the possibilities even after the image has been captured. Even though they are all essentially the same picture, creative cropping has given each one a different feel and perspective.

Exercise: Object in different positions in the frame

I noticed a fisherman on a beach and asked him if he had any objections to me photographing him for this exercise. I took a series of four photographs and attempted to place the fisherman in a different part of the frame each time. Each image obviously looks different and I have placed them in order, the picture I like best being first, finishing with the image I like least.

Favoured image

Placed towards the left of the frame the subject looks most comfortable. The fishing rods leaning over to the right help to draw the eyes through the frame. Additionally, the breakwater in the background has a similar effect on the viewer, taking the eyes through the frame to the waves breaking on the beach. In this instance the main subject and the background seem to complement each other.

2nd best image

Placed in the top left hand corner, the subject still seems to occupy the "best half" of the picture in a lateral sense. However, because the fisherman is now positioned right at the top of the frame there appears to be too much foreground with little to interest the eye.

3rd best image

In the 3rd best image, placing the subject in the centre of the frame has produced a static feel. While the basic elements are the same, the subject and background do not seem to work as well together. The attention of the viewer is now more inclined to be taken through the image to the background in the distance.

Least favoured image

Placing the subject in the right hand side of the frame looks odd and disjointed. The viewer is again distracted by the backgroundand is left wondering if there is anything of interest out of frame to the right.



Exercise: A sequence of composition.

I took my camera to the Destinations holiday exhibition at Earls Court hoping to catch a nice sequence there. I did struggle initially as everything appeared to be following a similar pattern at each stand. Eventually I was drawn into some interest at the Thai stand.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

In the first four images we can see shoppers and prospective holidaymakers browsing the rails or discussing potential trips. After two or three minutes in one place they would move on leaving the area vacant and uninteresting.

I noticed a small crowd of people congregating around the Thai stand so made my way over, as depicted below in image 5.

Image 5

 

Image 6

Image 6 illustrates how I'd moved in closer to ascertain what was holding the small crowds attention. Clearly they were all captivated by something. Eager to find out what was happening I managed to squeeze my way around to the other side of the stand for a better view.

Image 7

Image 7 reveals that the crowd are watching a Thai sugar artist making flowers out of strands of sugar.

Image 8

Image 8 shows the level of interest generated by this activity. I composed the shot with the artist to the left to give illustrate the number of people who were watching.

Image 9

In image 9 the artist is putting the finishing touches to a flower he has just made with strands of sugar. A couple of young children are waiting expectantly!

Image 10

In image 10 one of the young girls gets lucky as the artist hands over the finished flower!

Image 11

I now decided to zoom in on the mans hands in image 11 as he prepared the ingredients for another piece of sugar artistry.

Image 12

Image 13

Image 12 shows the artist working his magic with strands of sugar. But something appears to be happening in the background too. A pair of traditional Thai dancers are preparing for a performance. In image 13 we can see the male dancer has started his routine amongst the (mostly) captivated spectators.

Image 14

Image 15

Image 14 shows the female dancer joining the performance. In image 15 I have zoomed in to illustrate the fine detail in her headwear, at the same time keeping the male dancer in the frame but using a wide aperture to keep the attention on the female.

Image 16

Finally, in image 16, the dancers finish their performance and the crowd dissipates.