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Module 2 - Composition Module Objectives By the end of this module, you will be able to:
If practiced consistently and regularly, the knowledge obtained in this module will enable you to:
Identifying the Subject There are four steps that you as a good photographer will take when composing a photograph.
Note: Step 4 is the one factor that separates the great photographers from the rest. Being able to portray your subjects’ personality through a 2-dimensional photograph is the mark of an expert, and will bring people flocking to your door. Identifying a Theme We’ve all heard the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words." But it isn’t worth anything if the picture doesn’t have a message. The message, or theme, needs to be specific and focused. For example, if the theme of a photo is "A nude girl," it won’t be as powerful as one with a theme of "Innocent girl enjoying an outdoor shower," or "Beautiful woman appreciating the first flower of spring." Spend some focused thinking time nailing this one down, and I can almost guarantee you will come up with at least one shot out of each roll of film that is breathtaking.
Determining the Type of Photograph In the world of photographing beautiful women, there are at least six types of photograph:
I have learned by working with Eolake that DOMAI photographs lies somewhere between type 4 and type 5. It also borrows elements of type 1, and occasionally includes a small taste of type 3! We are capturing much more than the shape and texture of the nude female. (Note from Eolake: I personally think that a DOMAI nude should be more basic than most of the options Paul outline here. A DOMAI nude is a photo of a pretty woman, nude, and emphasizing the curves of her figure. The model or the photographer do not have sex in mind when creating the photo, and any sexual thoughts are entirely optional for the viewer. The photos might well end up being sexy, but the beauty of the girl (and the photo) is more important.) Determining the Physical Attributes You Wish to Accentuate Despite Playboy’s attempts to convince us otherwise with thick layers of airbrush, there are no perfect bodies in this world (although many of your subjects may come close.) And even if someone has what is close to a perfect body, some parts may be more perfect than others, or contribute to your theme better. For example, if your theme is a beautiful girl enjoying an outdoor shower, all you need to show is the expression on her face and a glistening breast to reinforce the fact that she is nude outdoors. We all have favorite body parts that we like to capture in our art, but frequently it’s worthwhile asking your model what parts of her body she feels are her best attributes. Most often you’ll hear that it’s her eyes, her smile, or some other facial feature, because that’s what truly identifies us. Even if you’re doing nudes, don’t ignore the face, because that is also going to help bring out her personality. Determining the Personality Traits You Want to Bring Out As stated previously, this is the distinguishing element of a professional photographer. Having said that, the only way you will become adept at doing this is through practice. Here are two tips that will help you.
Once you’ve figured out what "turns a woman on" (not sexually, but mentally), use that knowledge to keep them engaged through the shoot.
Focusing Attention on the Subject Once you’ve completely identified what your subject is, you want to ensure that your photograph draws the viewer to the same conclusion. There are a few basic techniques you can use to do this. 1 - Move in close One of the biggest differences between a photo that grabs your attention and one that is very boring is how big the subject is in the frame. As we will discuss further in Module 3 — Lighting, the eye sees the world in a different way than the camera. It is usually advantageous to get the subject to fill the frame, and to make the background blurred (see below). 2 — Move your subject off center In the first photo above, you can see that the model’s head is very close to dead center. In fact, the only reason it is above the center of the picture is avoid chopping her feet off. There is a "rule of thirds" in photography that suggests you divide your frame into three, vertically and horizontally, and place your subject in one of the cross-sections. 3 — Use Converging Lines to "Point" to the subject We’re all familiar with how roads and railway tracks seem to converge at the horizon. This trait becomes very evident in a photo taken with a moderately wide-angle lens (around 28mm on a 35mm camera), and can be used to focus attention on a subject that is not up close. Position the subject at the point where the lines converge, and you draw the viewer’s attention to the subject. 4 — Frame the subject A very effective tool is to frame your subject. This works very well in DOMAI photographs, using windows, mirrors, doors, and other natural frames, to single out the subject in the middle of the frame.
Minimizing Distracting Elements How often have you received your photos back from the lab, only to find that there was something in the picture that you hadn’t seen before, and which is the first thing you notice when you look at the picture. Again, remember that the flattening effect of a 2-D picture, combined with the fact that the eye is much more selective in what it sees than the camera, brings things out in a photo that we don’t notice in real life. These distracting elements can include trees growing out of our subject’s head, electrical cords and wall outlets that jump out from the picture, or any visually distracting objects in the frame. Here are a couple of ways to remove those distractions.
Summary You now have your subject properly placed in the frame, in a way that will tell a story to the viewer. You’ve hopefully learned three key elements of success that will set you apart from the amateur:
Next we look at how to use lighting to make your photographs stand out and take on a three-dimensional feeling. Course main page
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