Intro to Composition: Candid Photography - by Jorge Ramos

 

Most non-professionals tend to shoot from where they are standing, without taking into mind the composition of their subject matter in the photo. In order to avoid making this mistake, ask yourself three questions:

1. What is the Subject or theme of this photograph?
2. How can I Focus Attention on the subject?
3. Have I Simplified?

An Example: A field of Sunflowers lay before you. You want to get some great close-ups of a single Sunflower, so you already know what your Subject is. But how do you Focus Attention? One way would be to compose the shot by filling most of the frame with the flower. Another way would be to shoot the flower at an angle that allows you to capture some of the field in the background with only the flower in focus. Now, you’re almost ready to take the shot, but as a last precaution, Simplify. To put this in plain and simple English: Be aware of what is in the frame. Often, time takes care of distractions in the background, but always be prepared to reposition if you are short on time.

If you compose your shots based on those 3 questions, you will almost never have a badly composed photo. And don’t forget to use the Rule of Thirds, keeping the subject off-centered for added interest.

Now that you’ve mastered positioning strategy for both you and your subject matter, it’s time to talk about lighting options. Keep in mind; you are going for candid shots. Unfortunately, that means you will probably want to kill the flash. When people try to pose for shots meant to be candid it’s never pretty. When they don’t know they are being photographed, people are being themselves, and that’s what you want most to capture. If lighting is too dim, you can increase your ISO setting, use a faster lens, open up your aperture, or set your camera to ‘natural light’ mode. And I still can’t get over how wonderful digital cameras are. Gone are the days of film conservation! So take as many as you can. In fact, shooting multiple images quickly of your subject will often produce surprisingly spontaneous photos that you’d otherwise never have gotten. Switch your camera to continuous shooting mode to make this easier.

As a photographer, you will need to be one step ahead of your subject matter; this is often why photographers choose to attend rehearsals when possible.

Article Source: www.finerworks.com