The four principles of Composition 1. Simplify the picture 2. Use the rule of thirds 3. Use frames, lines, curves and diagonals 4. Vary your perspective
Simplify the picture Try to make your photos have clean edges.
The rule of thirds WEAKER BETTER The center of the frame is the weakest place for your subject it s static and dull, often creating wasted space. Better to put your subject off-center.
The rule of thirds
Use frames, lines, curves and diagonals Create impact by leading the viewer s eye into and around the picture
Use frames, lines, curves and diagonals
Vary your perspective Lie down Stand up high
Vary your perspective Get close Get even closer Move around Experiment
Exposure The exposure of every photo is controlled by three things: Aperture (also called f-stop or depth of field) Shutter speed ISO (also called ASA or film speed) This is generally set once for each situation. (It used to be once per roll of film.)
Aperture A smaller number (which means a larger lens opening) offers the following advantages: Allows you to shoot more often with just natural lighting, eliminating the flat, often unattractive light from the flash. Allows more light to pass through the camera will be able to choose a higher shutter speed. Helps to reduce depth-of-field, which can isolate the subject with an out-of-focus background.
Aperture (also called f-stop ) Affects depth of field, the amount in front of and behind the subject that remains in focus. Low numbers More light Less depth of field High numbers Less light More depth of field SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD DEEP DEPTH OF FIELD
Shutter speed Less light gets through to the image as shutter speed is increased. The lower the f-stop, the higher the shutter speed will be. Increasing the ISO allows the sensors to be more sensitive to light, allowing for higher shutter speeds.
Shutter Speed: Blur At slow shutter speeds the camera blurs the image of moving objects, and can create a more convincing image of movement. Shutter speeds below 1/60 require a tripod or else the background will be blurry (or shaky), too.
Shutter Speed: Stop Motion At fast shutter speeds (high numbers), the camera freezes the image of moving objects. These are the typical type of action shot Standard rule of thumb: General sports shots require at least 1/250 shutter speed. In all cases, the higher the number, the better.
ISO: General rules and tips ISO (also called ASA) settings are often rated at 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and up to 3200 or 6400 on some models. Use an ISO of 100 or 200 when taking photographs outside in sunny conditions. If the sky is overcast or it is evening, or in a normal room, use 400 or 800. At night, when shooting indoor sports or in other cases of low light, ISO of 1600 or higher. The higher the ISO, the more grain or noise the photo will have.
Other shooting tips WEAKER: We want to see their faces, not the tops of their heads Standard shooting is at eye level to your subject. For example, when shooting people sitting at desks or tables, sit or kneel. BETTER
Other shooting tips Getting close with a wide angle lens has more impact than zooming in from a distance. VIEWER IS PART THE ACTION VIEWER OBSERVES FROM AFAR
Other shooting tips Turn off the flash whenever possible when shooting candids. Side or angled lighting looks best on people. Often this is achieved by shooting next to a window. Top light and flourescent lighting (both of which you find in a classroom) are generally unflattering.
Find G.O.D. on every shoot At each event you cover, take three kinds of photos: Grabbers Overalls Details
Grabbers These should be overwhelmingly the biggest kind. Grabbers are the standard shots: a person reacting to something, a politician speaking, an athlete making a play, people crying over a tragedy, etc. Grabbers focus on just one or a few people. Those individuals may then act as representatives for a larger group. For example, at a protest rally, a photo of one person shouting and raising his/her fist represents the rest of the group.
Grabbers
Overalls These are shots that show the scale of an event or location, like a shot from a rooftop at a protest rally or inaguration. These are likely to be the smallest category of photos.
Details These are parts of your grabbers: a gymnast s taped ankle, a pen signing a petition, a tatoo, a button on a backpack, etc. These round out the photo story.